


In Reverse

by rekal



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Reverse AU!, basically every character in the game shows up at some point, big bro 900, chloe kamski has elijah droids, connor lost his dad, hank's got a cool ponytail, hank-droid, not relationship centric, simon leads the revolution, switched amanda and fowler, switched rupert and ralph, traci androids are male
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-06-11 10:23:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15313446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rekal/pseuds/rekal
Summary: Connor and Hank's story,in which Connor Anderson is a human detective and Hank is the android sent by CyberLife.(and much, much more.)Inspired by some wonderful artwork by @badturquoise on Instagram.





	1. Partners

**Author's Note:**

> As I said in the summary, this fic is based on art by @badturquoise on IG!  
> Here are some links:  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BlL8sGQHk7D/?taken-by=badturquoise  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BlGo_wuANpF/?taken-by=badturquoise  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/BlBK7XWgRWs/?taken-by=badturquoise  
> :) enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's get em

**NOV 5TH** , 2038

 _PM_ **_11:21_** _:05_

 _PM_ **_11:21_** _:06_

 _PM_ **_11:21_** _:07_

 

Hank flipped the coin once, twice in his palm. The window in front of him flashed white neon lettering- _Johnny’s_ _Bar_.

This was the fifth establishment he had come to search for Lieutenant Anderson in within the hour. Just like the other bars, it was labeled with a “No Androids Allowed” sign.

Hank promptly ignored it.

He quickly re-tied his short, silver ponytail- it was an automatic movement to him now- and proceeded to push open the door.

He was immediately met with angry glances, tired comments from one patron to another about Hank’s presence, and muffled jazzy chords. He scanned a few faces, all mismatches, before his eyes found a young, freckled man wearing a Detroit Police Department sweatshirt.

The loose waves of his dark hair were falling into his eyes and obscuring his face, but Hank found a compatible angle to scan him. He processed the man's face, and…

A match.

**_Connor Anderson._**

_Born: 03/17/2007 // Police Lieutenant_

_Criminal Record: None_

Lieutenant Anderson appeared to be nursing whiskey and a cigarette, his head down and his back hunched.

He didn't move when Hank introduced himself.

“Lieutenant Anderson. My name is Hank. I’m the android sent by Cyberlife.”

Lieutenant Anderson continued not to move, and Hank decided he would continue to speak.

“I looked for you at the station, but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby.”

He put his hand on the counter next to the lieutenant. “I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar.”

A moment passed before he received a reply.

“What do you want?”

“You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide, involving a Cyberlife android. Ring any bells?” he said, altering his tone into something more _impatient._  Which he was.

Or was programmed to be.

Connor adjusted his position, still not meeting Hank’s eyes.

“In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators.”

“I don’t need any _assistance._ I manage fine on my own, thanks.” replied Connor, flicking his eyes briefly towards Hank and grimacing before turning them back to his drink.

“Fuck off. Go back to Cyberlife or wherever.” Connor flicked his hand, and took a sip from his glass.

Hank had expected the rejection.

“Lieutenant Anderson, I believe this situation would be better for the both of us if you would stop drinking, and come with me.”

Connor ran a hand through his hair, his expression bordering on amused as he proceeded to drink.

“Lieutenant. You’ve got to come with me. My instructions _stipulate_ that I’ve got to accompany you.”

Connor exhaled a small laugh, his exhaustion visible as he put out his cigarette.

“You can take your instructions and shove them up...” he paused.

“Up where?”

Hank knew where. He was more knowledgeable with spoken inconsistencies and slang than most androids, as it was a characteristic of his prototype.

He only wanted to log the lieutenant’s reaction.

Connor looked at him unbelievingly, revealing dark stubble and and more light moles painting his face. “Forget it.”

He was twelve years younger than the average age of Johnny’s Bar patrons, but it appeared as if he was a frequent customer- Hank quickly searched for an analysis of this behavior.

It was an indicator of emotional pain, typically enhanced stress of grief.

Hank made a note of it and returned his attention to Lieutenant Anderson.

“I’ll buy you one for the road, Anderson. Bartender- the same again.” Hank projected, taking out a bill and sliding it to the man across the counter.

“See that, John? Wonders of technology.” The lieutenant smiled weakly.

Connor turned towards him, smirking, before replying.

“So. A homicide?”

 

 _PM_ **_11:33_** _:36_

 _PM_ **_11:33_** _:37_

 _PM_ **_11:33_** _:38_

 

Music played softly from the speakers of Connor’s car. It was jazz, Hank realized- The Vincent Brothers Top Hits Album, recorded in 1967 by the Detroit-based duo.

The gentle notes were cut off upon their arrival to the house.

Hank sat straight in his seat, neon blue identifiers bright against the night and the dim interior of the car. Connor sighed and looked at Hank, his expression of neutrality strained.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon enough.”

“Whatever you say, Anderson.” said Hank, knowing fully well he would not prioritize Connor’s instructions over his mission.

 _Follow Lieutenant Anderson_ flashed in the corner of his vision the moment Connor shut his door.

He quickly re-tied his hair and exited the vehicle, scanning the house as he approached it.

A woman ran out from a van across the street before leaning a microphone towards Connor’s face- “Josie Douglas, for Channel 16. Can you _confirm_ that this is a homicide?” she asked as Connor passed the yellow projection-tape.

“No comment.”

The voices of passerby echoed around Hank.

_“Have they said anything?”_

_“Typical DPD. They don’t tell us shit.”_

_“I didn’t even know somebody was living there.”_

Hank was stopped by a police android before he could pass the tape.

“Androids are not permitted beyond this point.” it said.

_Ironic._

Connor sighed as he looked back at Hank from past the tape. “It’s with me.”

Hank approached him after making his way onto the property. The lieutenant was standing in the yard, hood down despite the rain- from where he stood, Hank could grasp a sense of his stature. He was a relatively tall man, but noticeably shorter than Hank.

He stopped analyzing when Connor poked a finger into Hank’s chest. “You don’t talk. You don’t touch anything. And you stay _out of my way_.”

“Got it, Lieutenant.”

Connor’s frown loosened, just slightly.

“Evening, Connor.” A heavyset man called out from the house’s dilapidated porch.

“We were starting to think that out resident genius wasn’t gonna show.”

Connor scoffed. “Yeah, that was the plan before this fucker found me.”

“Got yourself an android, huh?”

“Skip the jokes. Just take me through what happened.”

Hank scanned the yard- no tracks other than those left moments before- as he followed them inside, listening intently to the briefing.

“We had a call around eight from the landlord. The tenant hadn’t paid his rent in a few months, so he thought he’d drop by, see what was going on… That’s when he found the body.”

As the corpse came into view, Connor brought his hand up to his face, the sleeve of his sweatshirt covering his nose and mouth.

“That _fucking_ smell.”

“It was even worse before we opened the windows.”

Hank headed straight to the glowing yellow evidence indicators visible around the house, deciding to start with the large, bloody kitchen knife lying on the floor of the room.

The handle was spotless- an indicator of android involvement. He sampled some of the blood to confirm that it was the murder weapon.

One of two, it seemed, based on the matching knife protruding from the chest of the victim.

“The _fuck_ do you think you’re doing, plastic?” said Connor, his disgust audible as he approached Hank’s kneeling figure.

“I’m sampling, lieutenant. Through this, I can conclude forensic information instantaneously.”

“Fine. Just don’t. Uh. Lick any more evidence, Hank.”

Hank nodded, welcoming the somewhat civil treatment from Connor, and proceeded to analyze the remaining evidence.

A bat in the kitchen, a pool of thirium belonging to a PL600 android, red ice in a drawer, the spaces of missing knives, blood on the walls belonging to one Carlos Ortiz.

No tracks in the backyard.

“They didn’t leave through here, or the front.”

“And how do you know that?” replied Connor from behind him, attempting to appear uninterested despite the curiosity in his voice.

“Look at the soil type.”

Connor walked up to the doorway and stood beside Hank. “Yeah, you’re right. It would’ve retained a trace.”

Connor began to move back into the house, eyeing Hank as he did so.

“Your ponytail’s loose.”

Hank reached up and fixed his hair, turning to thank Connor but spotting him down the hall, inspecting the interior of the next room.

He followed Connor and proceeded to scan the lettering above the body propped up against the wall- WE ARE ALIVE, in CyberLife sans- before examining the body itself.

**_Deceased._ **

_Ortiz, Carlos._

_Estimated Time of Death: 11:30 PM._

_Criminal Record: Theft, aggravated assault_

Twenty nine stab wounds, all but one in his chest, and with the last in his shoulder.

Hank stood up and reconstructed the scene with what information he had gathered:

_Ortiz begins to beat an unidentified android in his kitchen with a metal bat._

_This serves as an emotional shock to both of his androids._

_His PL600 model android, also in the kitchen, takes a knife and stabs Ortiz in the shoulder, and Ortiz attacks the PL600. During this, the unidentified android grabs another knife. It stabs Ortiz in his chest. Ortiz escapes to the living room, but falls, where he is repeatedly stabbed until his death._

Hank relayed his thoughts to an impressed Connor.

“Not bad, plastic. D’you think you know where they went?”

“Well, lieutenant, they were both bleeding thirium. Thirium is the-”

“I know what thirium is, Hank.”

Connor makes a face at Hank’s poorly concealed surprise- “You were saying?”

“I can see thirium traces once they’ve evaporated, Lieutenant.”

Connor was still.

“Get a fucking move on, then.”

It was easy for Hank to find and track the movements of the deviants to the attic- they appeared to have helped lift each other into it. He took a ladder leaning against the wall and propped it up, entering the dusty space as quietly as he could.

The chatter of police officers faded as he climbed.

He slowly traversed the attic until he caught sight of a glowing red ring. He stopped, considering his options.

He hadn't yet moved when the deviant burst from behind a stack of boxes and tackled Hank to the ground.

“RUN, SIMON!” yelled the deviant as Hank shoved it off. He could see the android, a blonde PL600, drop to the ground from a window at the far end of the attic.

“THEY’RE HERE, LIEUTENANT!” shouted Hank, though he knew Connor had heard the commotion already.

He listened to the officers shouting to chase the escaped deviant as he wrangled his own attacker down to the ground floor, Connor handcuffing the deviant the second he was in reach, completely ignoring the quiet mantra of “ _rA9_ _save_ _us_ ” it was repeating.

“You alright, Hank?”

“I am fine, Lieutenant.” Hank replied, unconsciously fixing his ponytail.

He observed Connor’s small breath of relief with confusion.

Had Connor been worried?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope y'all are enjoying  
> im trying to change a lot of little details to make it more interesting for y'all.  
> gavin/connor in next chapter kinda. it'll get there  
> 


	2. The Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which gavin is miraculously both in character AND gay for our main man connor, a seemingly impossible feat for me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm much more cool with this chapter than the first  
> 

**NOV 6TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_12:41_** _:04_

 _AM_ **_11:41_** _:05_

 _AM_ **_11:41_** _:06_

 

“TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS. You didn’t want to leave him a chance, huh?”

Connor’s yells had caused the deviant to shiver- but it hadn’t yet cracked. He sat back in his seat, visibly tired, and opened the top button of his shirt before leaning in to continue his interrogation.

From across the glass, in the control room, Detective Gavin Reed wolf whistled and walked closer to the two way mirror.

Hank was glad Connor didn’t have to witness this display- he had seen the detective show only contempt towards Connor when he was actually in his view. The comparison was jarring, so Hank elected to ignore it as best as he could.

“This isn’t working.” said Hank, and Chris nodded, unfazed by Gavin’s behavior. He suspected he was used to it.

Chris replied with a “Yeah. Hank, maybe you should go in and see how it reacts to being questioned by another android.”

Gavin feigned an offended gasp and said, “And force Connor to stop doing his job? Fuckin’ despicable.”

Chris swiveled his chair around to look Gavin in the eye. “Shut the fuck up, Reed, I’ve been telling you to tap that for _years_ now.”

“And, prick?”

“You haven’t, bitch.”

Hank viewed the exchange with half hearted analysis- despite the aggressive language in use, both men had wide smiles on their faces. He didn’t necessarily want to know why.

Chris turned back to the glass. “Anyways, I think we should send Hank in.”

“Maybe you could try roughing it up a little instead. After all, it’s not human.” said Gavin.

Hank turned sharply towards him- “Androids can’t feel pain. You’d just damage it, and if you didn’t know, that wouldn’t make it talk.”

Within seconds, Gavin had grabbed Hank by the collar of his uniform and shoved him against the wall.

“Smartass fuckin’ plastic grandpa. Alright, you wanna talk to the droid? Go talk to the fuckin’ droid.” spat Gavin, exhaling forcefully through his nose before nodding at Chris and releasing Hank to walk back to his corner of the control room.

Chris pressed the mic on the desk and called Connor back in- the flushed smirk Gavin gained watching him walk from the interrogation room reverting to a scowl the moment he stepped in the control room. His eyes were locked on Connor’s neckline, but Connor didn't seem to notice.

“Hank, you’re up.” said Chris.

Connor looked vaguely irritated. “You’re sending Hank?”

“Yep.” replied Chris, keeping his tone light.

Connor opened his mouth to object, and-

The conversation cut off as Hank left the control room and entered the interrogation room.

He carefully opened and analyzed the file on the table, after which he got up and fixed his hair.

Hank was designed to intimidate, so that’s what he was going to do.

“HK400. State your name.”

No response. Hank walked to android’s side before slamming his fists down.

“HK400. STATE YOUR NAME.” he tried, elevating his voice to a near yell.

The android closed its eyes, and its LED glared red.

“Ken. Kenny.” it said quietly, voice shaking with its body.

“That’s not the name your owner gave you, Jake.”

“It’s _MINE_.” exclaimed the android, his head shooting up and ducking down again.

“It’s mine.”

“You called the PL600 Simon. His registered name was Toby. You reassigned each others names, didn’t you?”

Through the glass, Connor stared intently at the scene. “Android folie à deux?“ he spoke quietly to himself, causing Gavin to shoot Chris a _what the fuck is he saying_ look. Chris just shrugged, mouthing an _ask him yourself_ back at him.

Kenny looked up at Hank and nodded.

“I’m sure that means you two were very close.”

Kenny's stress levels shot up- “Were?”

Hank returned to his seat and crossed his hands. “Let’s just say you have nothing to lose, HK400. Tell the truth. We know you killed Ortiz. It's over for you anyways.”

With the deviant’s stress levels settled in the 90th percentile, Hank knew he had applied pressure just where he needed to.

Kenny spoke frantically, “I did it, I stabbed him, _Simon_ , I did it, he hit me, he hit us, couldn’t take it, please, Simon, is Simon oka-”

Its panic hit Hank somewhere he wasn’t expecting. He reached out automatically, placing his hand on Kenny’s shoulder and heard himself speaking.

“The PL600’s status is unknown. Thank you for your confession.”

And he left the room, running one diagnostic program after the other. He had no reason to share that information. He had to have experienced some sort of software errror-

Hank’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Kenny slamming his head repeatedly onto the table. Hank entered from the hallway immediately and was joined by the three other frantic cops within moments.

Chris and Gavin both moved immediately to restrain the android.

“Hank, what the _fuck is it doing_! _”_ yelled Connor as he joined the other two in attempting to pull the deviant back. “It’s self-destructing.” said Hank, calmly, as he moved to intervene.

The deviant threw its head down once more, with added force, and it went limp.

The four of them stood frozen in silence for a short time, taking in what had just happened.

“God damn it. At least we got the confession,” said Gavin. “Even though pretty boy here had to send in his robot to get it for him.”

Connor weakly flipped him off, not taking his eyes off of the body on the table.

 _Mission Successful_ faded in and out of Hank’s vision.

 _Successful doesn’t feel like the right word_ , he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T W E N T Y E I G H T S T A B W O U N D S  
> had 2 get that in there  
> also yes ortiz got 29 im this but our lad kenny only did 28


	3. Waiting for Connor...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we back

**NOV 6TH** , 2038

_AM **09:56** :13_

_AM_ **_09:56_** _:14_

 _AM_ **_09:56_** _:15_

_Find Fowler._

Hank took in his familiar surroundings. The zen garden was flourishing, an apparent spring.

Fowler stood at the edge of the area, trimming a group of hedges.

“Hello, Fowler.”

“Hank.”

He turned, expression far from pleased.

“Your behavior lately has been far from efficient. You may have caught that deviant, but the escape of the other android and your… unprecedented actions post-interrogation are not reassuring. Tell me, what did you think of the deviant, Hank?”

Hank reached up to tie his hair.

“It demonstrated both PTSD after abuse from its owner, and a familial connection with the escaped deviant. Its program appeared to have been... rewritten.”

“Now, the young lieutenant. What do you make of him?”

“He seems troubled, but he does his job well. I expect working with him to be difficult but rewarding.”

“I see. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with Anderson. How are you planning to approach him, Hank?”

“I believe establishing a friendship between us would facilitate a progressive investigation.”

Fowler's eyebrows creased momentarily. He took a step forward, meeting Hank’s eyes with an authoritative intensity.

“You are Cyberlife’s most advanced prototype. You know your priorities. If anyone can successfully investigate the influx of deviancy, it is you.”

Hank nodded.

“Hurry, Hank. There’s little time.”

 

_AM_ **_09:59_ ** _:08_

_AM_ **_09:59_ ** _:09_

_AM_ **_09:59_ ** _:10_

 

Hank sat patiently at Connor’s desk.

There was a steaming coffee that Hank concluded, after analyzing the fingerprints left on the container, was left by Detective Reed, corgi hairs on his chair, and a small photo of him and a taller, blue eyed man who otherwise looked remarkably similar to the lieutenant taped on his terminal. He scanned the image and concluded him to be his older brother-

**_Niles Anderson._**

_Born: 09/09/2005 // Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent_

_Criminal Record: None_

Interesting.

Off to the side, almost hidden away, were newspaper clippings dated back to 2036.

“Red Ice Murders Solved: Notorious Killer Put Away By Detroit’s Youngest Lieutenant”

_Connor Anderson, 29, was promoted to lieutenant this Saturday after his demonstration of impeccable police work in the field._

_After successfully dismantling a red ice distributor ring in East Detroit, he was able to track down Todd Williams, the man now known to be behind a series of overdose induced murders within the area._

_He is thought to have saved countless lives, and introduced a series of investigative techniques that will help save many more across the nation._

A photo of the young lieutenant, composed, clean shaven, and beaming was almost unrecognizable from the scruffy, apparent alcoholic he had met.

He stood when he saw Connor making his way towards his desk, wearing a plain white dress shirt and slightly oversized brown jacket, its sleeve emblazoned with the name Cole and the year 1995 underneath.

Perhaps Cole was a figure in Connor's life- his relative? Hank would research the subject later.

“Hello, Lieutenant Anderson.”

“Fuck, you’re still here?” Connor shook his head and pushed Hank aside before dropping into his desk chair.

Hank nodded and retied his ponytail. Connor picked up the coffee on his desk and eyed Hank suspiciously.

“Hank, who left this?”

“Do you not know?”

“There’s always one here, and nobody in this damn office will tell me who keeps leaving ‘em.”

“I’m afraid I do not know either, Lieutenant.”

Hank would have to deliberate whether or not to tell Connor about Reed's actions.

Would telling the lieutenant delay the mission?

Connor sighed and sat down, almost spilling his coffee when Captain Amanda Stern's yell rang out across the office. 

“ANDERSON. My office, NOW.”

“Fuck. Hank, you can just, uh… whatever.” He jogged across the office to meet with Amanda, leaving Hank alone without an objective. He decided to seek out Officer Miller, as Chris had been relatively amicable with him the day before.

Chris was sitting at a small table in the breakroom, across from Detective Reed, and laughing loudly as the detective showed him what was presumably an image on his phone. A _meme_ of sorts. Reed’s grin disappeared when he saw Hank watching them, putting his phone down and walking over despite a quiet “Don’t, Gavin.” from Chris.

“Congratulations on last night, _very_ _impressive_.” It didn’t take much analysis on Hank’s part to hear the sarcasm in his words.

“Hello, Detective Reed.”

His nonchalance seemed to irritate the detective- Reed clenched and unclenched his fist as he took a step closer to Hank.

“Bring me a coffee, dipshit.”

Hank considered complying, but decided against it. There was no purpose. No benefit.

“Should I prepare it the way you do for Lieutenant Anderson?”

Gavin’s expression darkened. He gripped Hank’s arm and looked him in the eyes, his voice dangerously soft when he spoke.

“You’re on thin fucking ice. You don’t tell the lieutenant, I don’t set your plastic ass on fire. Got it, prick?”

“Tell me what?” Connor uneasily walked into the breakroom, prompting Gavin to release Hank and sit back down with Chris, who was trying and failing to conceal his laughter- even after Gavin placing a hand over his mouth and telling him “Shut up, dumbass.”

“Nothin’, bitch boy.” said Reed in response to Connor, smacking the back of Chris’s head when his laughter grew even louder, his hand slapping the surface of the table.

Connor’s nervous expression didn’t change. He grabbed Hank and headed back to the office, taking a deep breath before sitting down and looking up at Hank.

“Stern says we’re... _partners_ now."

Connor's voice shifted aggressively at the word partners, prolonging the word as if he was disgusted.

"I want you to know that I _don’t_ want this, I don’t want _you_ here, and I wouldn’t be doing _this_ if that didn’t mean losing my job.”

Again, Hank had expected this.

“Got it.”

Connor looked away, starting up his terminal, before looking back at Hank with a frown.

“Stop just fuckin’ standing there.”

“Is there a desk I can use?”

Connor jabbed his finger at the desk across from him. Once Hank sat down, the lieutenant was the first to speak.

“Hank. What was Reed talking about?” His tone was demanding, insisting an answer.

Hank processed the request and concluded Connor being aware of his co-workers acts and intentions would only benefit the investigation.

He had no reason to lie.

“Detective Reed regularly brings you coffee.”

Connor was silent for a long moment.

“Oh.”

Hank turned away and accessed the terminal in front of him, downloading all records on deviants before he turned back to Connor, who still appeared shocked.

Hank decided to elaborate for him.

“Detective Reed has shown a tendency to exhibit behavior towards you that would normally indicate a hatred or rivalry when in your presence. I have reason to believe he is attracted to you as opposed to repelled by you."

This information apparently did not help Connor’s shock.

“This damn office.” he muttered, grabbing Officer Chen’s arm as she walked by.

“Tina. Did everyone know? Except for me?”

She grinned, and despite the lack of context, nodded and hurried away before Connor could reply.

“Fuck.”

Hank knew revelations such as these could be difficult for humans to process and come to terms with, but he felt his honesty was a step in the right direction in terms of a positive relationship with the Lieutenant Anderson. Connor, now holding his head in his hands, took a deep breath. Hank reached out his hand to pat his shoulder but cancelled the action, speaking instead.

“An AX400, a TR400, and a YK500 escaped from a Cyberlife store a few days ago. They were recently seen in the Ravendale district. I believe it would be a good place to start investigating this case, Lieutenant."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “you’re on thin fucking ice” me to myself every time i post a chapter without proofreading


	4. On the Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woah!! kara crossover!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw last chapter i did a lil beat switchup and by that i mean i reversed fowler and amanda after i published the chapter. uhhhh My Apologies but @badturquoise’s art commanded it.  
> i was kinda dumb and ignored the opportunity to switch them originally, sorry.  
> gonna try to reverse/change up as many major characters as possible in the long run.  
> 

**NOV 6TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_10:25_** _:07_

 _AM_ **_10:25_** _:08_

 _AM_ **_10:25_** _:09_

 

Kara and Luther exchanged soft smiles as they watched the sun stream in from the squat house’s window. Alice was asleep, recharging in Kara’s arms, Luther had finished healing the bullet wound in his leg, and Rupert was going to be back soon with clothes for them. It had been three weeks since the mix up at the CyberLife store- three weeks since the three of them had met and four days since their escape.

Alice smiled in her sleep as Luther hummed a short song.

Kara had never felt more alive.

All was well.

At least, until Rupert burst into the squat, panicked and carrying a bulging trash bag over his shoulder.

“Get upstairs. I managed to find clothes for you, but there are police in the neighborhood. You need to hide, _now_.”

Luther had already scooped up a frightened, now-awake Alice and the bag of clothes, immediately dashing upstairs, but Kara hesitated.

“Rupert- What about you?! What’s going to happen to y-”

“I’ll be fine. I pass as a human, I have an ID and everything. Get upstairs, Kara, quick!”

Kara joined Luther and Alice upstairs, and within moments, the three of them were outfitted in conventional human clothing. Luther stuffed their uniforms in the room’s bathtub, already planning an escape route from the window.

“Kara, take Alice and jump from here to th-”

Luther ducked down suddenly, pulling the girls with him.

He quickly switched to telepathic communication, mental voice still no louder than a whisper. “They’re outside.”

As if on cue, a thundering knock sounded from the door downstairs.

“Anybody home?” called a gruff, older voice.

No response from Rupert.

The group hurried, as quietly as possible, into the attached bedroom. There was a dirty, torn mattress, its wire bed frame, and a ripped green curtain laying on top.

Alice automatically dove underneath, Kara kneeling down to do the same before looking up at Luther.

“Don't worry, Kara. I'll be fine.”

“Luth-”

Luther stepped out of the room just as they heard the front door being rammed open.

Kara yanked the curtain down over the edge of the bed frame, squeezing her eyes shut as she pulled Alice close.

 

Hank crashed his side into the rotting wood of the door, effectively breaking it down within seconds. Connor, still surveying the area around the house for evidence of deviants, poked his head out from around a corner.

“You good, Hank?”

“Yes, Lieutenant.”

Hank entered the main room- there was a young man standing at the center in front of a dying fire, his hands folded behind his back and his face stony. He appeared human, but a quick scan proved the opposite.

**_Model RT100._ **

_Reported missing: 03/12/2037_

A deviant.

“You’re an android.” said the RT100, wearing a surprised expression.

“As are you.” The RT100's surprise was replaced with a look of anxiousness.

Hank fixed his hair, preparing to interrogate the deviant.

“An escaped AX400, TR400, and YK500 were seen in this area last night.”

The deviant’s stress level slowly began to rise.

“Are there any androids here? Upstairs? Have you seen any?”

The RT100 shook his head, not meeting Hank’s eyes. Hank slowly moved around the room, investigating the area as thoroughly as possible. No traces of androids in the kitchen, under the stairs, hidden in the darker areas of the room.

He had only started up the stairs when Connor walked in, looking annoyed.

“You find anything at all, Hank?”

Hank turned his head towards where the RT100 had been, but saw only empty air.

The deviant had vanished. Hank reluctantly shook his head no, desperately attempting to analyze the deviant’s current position.

“Then what the _fuck_ are you still in here for? We’ve got a shit ton of other places to investigate, and here you are wasting my fuckin’ time. Get over here.”

Hank didn't want to disobey the man,

So he didn't.

 

 _AM_ **_10:33_** _:02_

 _AM_ **_10:33_** _:03_

 _AM_ **_10:33_** _:04_

 

Rupert knocked on the doorway to the bedroom before helping Kara and Alice out from under the bed, Luther already waiting behind him. Alice rushed to Luther’s side and wrapped her arms around his midsection. Luther kneeled before hugging her back with a parental fondness- Kara could feel tears of relief forming in her eyes as she watched the two of them.

The two people she loved more than anything.

Alice looked back at her and grabbed her hand, effectively bringing the three of them into a group hug.

They sat like that for a while, kneeling on the dusty wooden floor with their arms around each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our lad ralph in tha next chapter yeah!!!! woo!!!!!!!  
> also gavin


	5. The Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> our main man ralph, ft. bonding and  
> S O F T W A R E  
> I N S T A B I L I T Y

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> sorry for getting this one out later than others, it just be like that sometimes

**NOV 6TH** , 2038

_PM_ **_03:04_ ** _:44_

_PM_ **_03:04_ ** _:45_

_PM_ **_03:04_ ** _:46_

 

Connor had been silent since their search for the escaped deviants. Hank had not known the lieutenant for long, but he knew the man usually had something to say- offhand comments about Hank, the office, or the case.

Hank composed and worked through a list of possibilities as to why…

He could be disappointed that the deviants weren’t found. Maybe he was angry at Hank for not finding them.

Or, he could be processing an emotionally significant event.

“Lieutenant, you’ve been uncharacteristically quiet since approximately 2:48 this afternoon.”

“And how would you know? That it’s _uncharacteristic_?”

“I have a behavioral analysis program, Lieute-”

“Fuckin’ _behavioral analysis program_? Should’ve known.”

Connor slammed the brakes in front of a roadside restaurant. _Detroit Chicken_.

He looked at Hank with a tired expression and exited the car, nearly getting hit by an automatic vehicle in the process.

“Hey, look who it is. Connor, how’s it goin?” Called a man from the restaurant's counter.

“Same shit as ever, man.”

“You want the usual?”

“Yeah.”

Connor appeared to be familiar with the establishment. Hank saw this as a good sign, trusting the lieutenant’s judgement, and left the car to talk to him.

“ _Connor, mon ami!”_ A man around Connor’s age shouted, running towards him.

“Jacques, quoi de neuf?”

“Man, do I gotta tip for you. Number five in the third. Fuckin’ _guaranteed_ , one hun. Dred. Per. Cent.”

“Am I supposed to believe that after the last one, J?”

“C’mon, it’s different this time!”

Hank scanned the man-

**_Jacques Dubois._ **

_Born: 01/25/2005 // Unemployed_

_Criminal Record: Illegal gambling, fraud_

Hank reacted instantly, putting his body in between Connor and Dubois.

“Lieutenant, this man is a criminal.”

Dubois and the man behind the Detroit Chicken counter- Gary Kayes, also possessing a sizable criminal record- only laughed.

“So fucking _what_. The _fuck_ are you even doing over here, Hank? Following me around like you’re my goddamn bodyguard.”

Hank saw Connor’s expression and reluctantly stepped back, impulsively tying up his hair.

“Lieutenant.”

Connor just shook his head, grabbing his food and heading to the tables.

“I realize my behavior was inappropriately…  protective, Lieutenant.” Hank said, following him.

Connor took a large bite of his hamburger and scowled.

Hank fixed his hair again, and leaned against the table’s edge.

“Now that we’re partners, I think it would be best to learn more about each other.”

Connor simply continued to eat.

“Do you regularly engage in illegal gambling, Lieutenant?”

“The fuck kind of a question is that, Hank?” he replied, setting down his food. He met Hank's eyes and held them for a bit. “Sometimes.”

Hank decided to move on to a different question.

“What is your relationship with Detective Gavin Reed?”

Connor choked, coughing heavily as he glared at Hank.

“Are you alright, Lieutenant?”

Connor nodded as he regained his breath.

“I would only like to know for the sake of our partnership. Seeing as you are not invested heavily in me or our investigation, I concluded your earlier silence was a result of Reed’s affection.”

“Fuck.” Connor breathed in,  “Don’t call it _affection_. He probably put arsenic in the damn coffee.”

“I can assure you that is not the case. If you would like more evidence as to Detective Reed’s attraction, he also has a tendency to focus on your lower body and-”

“If you say another word, you’ll be headed back to Cyberlife in a fucking garbage bag.”

“I am only trying to help you, Lieutenant. It is in both of our best interests that you are fully aware of your coworkers’ lives in relation to your own.”

Connor sat silently for a minute, before looking up at Hank.

“Being as asshole is Reed’s thing. I don’t know if it’s _him_ , though.” Connor paused. “I just- thanks for telling me. I’ll get it figured out sooner or later.”

Hank nodded.

“Can I go over what we know about deviancy?”

“Go for it.” said Connor, looking disinterested.

“It's thought that a software mutation occurs in some androids, leading them to simulate human emotion.”

“You wanna go over that again?” the lieutenant said, running a hand through his hair.

“They don’t feel emotions- not really. They just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions.”

Connor sat, thinking, for a moment before letting out a small laugh. “Emotions are always fucking things up. Maybe deviants aren’t that different from us.”

“Is there anything you would like to know about me?”

“ _Fuck no_. Or, wait.”

“Yes?”

“Uh, why’d they make you look so old? And give you that angry voice?”

“I was designed to excel within an investigative setting, and work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and my voice were specifically designed for these purposes.”

“Well, they fucked up.”

 _Huh_.

Connor took a sip of his drink. “I’m guessing you know everything there is to know about me.”

“I know you were considered an exemplary officer. I know you helped model investigative techniques utilized by my own model and are the youngest lieutenant Detroit has ever seen.”

Connor flicked his eyes back down to his meal.

“I also know you’ve received a multitude of disciplinary warnings recently. And you frequent a variety of bars.”

“So, what’s your verdict?” said Connor, his smile small and sad.

“You're not what I was expecting, though I know you’re a talented investigator. I’m confident that we’ll be able to solve this case.”

Hank’s LED spun yellow momentarily, his eyes blinking rapidly. “I’ve just received a report of a suspected deviant. It’s a few blocks away- we should head over. Hurry up, I'll be in the car."

“ _Hurry up?_ You're the pushiest piece of fuckin' plastic I've ever met."

Hank had comebacks prepared, opening his mouth to respond but closing it when he saw the lieutenant's smile.

"I’m done here anyways," Connor said, wiping a raindrop off of his forehead. "Let’s go.”

 

_PM_ **_03:21_ ** _:12_

_PM_ **_03:21_ ** _:13_

_PM_ **_03:21_ ** _:14_

 

“We’re depending on _you_ , Hank.”

His report to CyberLife hadn’t gone well, according to the zen garden’s cloudy sky.

Fowler had nothing good to say about his “failing to properly investigate the escaped deviants”.

When he returned to the physical world, he was greeted by a disconcerted stare from the lieutenant.

“Did you hear me, Hank?”

“No. I was making a report to CyberLife.”

“Huh. You gonna get out of the elevator?”

"What do you think, lieutenant?" Hank said, stepping out of the elevator. Connor chuckled, and Hank ran a diagnosis- he had received a software instability warning.

“So, what do we know about this guy?” said Connor, Hank walking down the hall at his side.

“It’s an abandoned area floor, but a neighbor saw a man living here. Said he saw him hiding an LED underneath his hat, and he's been hearing strange noises from this area.”

“If we start investigating every damn time someone hears a strange noise, we’re gonna need a bigger police force.”

Connor crossed his arms, leaning on the wall next to a scratched oak door.

Hank looked at him for confirmation and received a shrug and a smile.

He knocked forcefully, three times in quick succession.

“Hello?”

No response.

“Open up, Detroit police!”

Loud footsteps, and a crash. Connor instinctively moved behind Hank- before he could tell him to do so. He only needed to kick once to force the door open. Him and the lieutenant moved hastily, guns drawn, but saw no one- only dirt, ivy, and leaves.

The walls were lined with climbing greenery, moss could be seen in the cracks of the floor, and a thin layer of soil covered every surface in sight- a stark contrast to the bareness of the rest of the building. Hank moved down the corridor, looking back at Connor, who gave a quick thumbs up. Once again he kicked down the door in front of him, releasing the smell of earth and what looked like hundreds of plants, hanging from the ceiling in plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and a variety of other salvaged containers, filling the room’s corners and counters, and packed into rotting shelves.

Connor lowered his gun, taking in the sight. “It’s… _really_ _green_ in here.”

Hank saw his expression- one of soft, boyish wonder- and tried to compose a response.

 _ **Warning.** Software instability_.

“My. My dad and I, we had this garden-” said Connor, before quickly stopping his words and reverting back to a grimace.

“Lieutenant?”

“Nothing, Hank. I’ll check out the other room, you check around this one.” he said, before moving into what appeared to be the bathroom at the other end of the space.

There was a pile of aluminum tins, each full of grass seeds and seeping water, laying on the ground. An empty cardboard tray hung just above them.

Hank identified them as the source of the crash, after analyzing footprints in the dirt layer of the floor heading towards them from the bathroom, and began to reconstruct the scene.

“Hank! Its LED’s in the sink!” yelled the lieutenant, walking out of the bathroom with the biocomponent in his palm. Hank stopped his reconstruction and analyzed the broken LED.

“It’s a WR600 gardening model.”

“Well, that explains all,” Connor waved his hands, “This.”

“Was there anything else in the bathroom, Lieutenant?”

“A bunch of symbols traced in the dirt. rA9. Wasn’t that, uh, what Ortiz's android was saying when we brought him in?”

“Yes.” said Hank, his voice thoughtful. rA9...

A connection?

“Huh. Oh, and there was a fallen stool. Looks like our guy ran through here. Don’t know where he went, though- maybe a window?”

“The tracks stop here, Lieutenant.” Hank said, gesturing to the ground.

“Maybe…”

The two of them looked up at the broken ceiling panels- coming to a conclusion simultaneously. Hank tipped a wooden box full of herbs and climbed up to reach into the open ceiling space when suddenly a blond, scarred deviant leapt down, brandishing a pair of pruning scissors.

Before Hank or the Lieutenant could react the blades were embedded in Hank’s torso, causing him to fall to his knees. Connor was frozen in place as he weighed the value of the case and Hank's wellbeing.

“Ralph… Ralph never wanted this.” whispered the deviant before tearing out of the room. Connor rushed to Hank’s side, but Hank had already pulled the scissors out.

“All biocomponents fully operational. Pursuing deviant now.”

“Hank, _WHAT?”_ yelled the lieutenant as Hank stood.

The bleeding would stop soon enough.

He was not going to disappoint Fowler again.

Hank followed the deviant out of the apartment, shoving open the roof exit at the end of the hallway and racing over the paint splattered concrete.

He spotted Ralph’s torn makeshift cloak disappear into the opening of a greenhouse one roof over, the area full of humans and androids alike.

Hank followed him through, making sure not to disrupt the workforce, leaping over the building’s edge and sliding down its glass walls.

Hank barely completed the jump from the wall to the open window of the adjacent urban farming complex, leaving Ralph a crucial few seconds ahead. Ralph slid through a now closed garage door, heading to an elevated walkway above where Hank was now running.

He reached the roof’s end and caught sight of Ralph, sliding down the building’s slanted edge towards the train tracks- he was going to have to jump.

Within moments he had rolled onto the conveniently timed train and jumped onto the walls of a UFD building again- whatever software instability he had experienced in anticipation gone.

He climbed onto the roof and plowed through the second greenhouse before finding himself in an open field, the crops blocking his vision and allowing him to use only intuition to track the deviant’s movements.

He emerged from the field just in time to see Connor throw a punch at Ralph before he was tossed over the roof’s edge, just barely hanging on.

_Chance of Survival: 93 percent._

Two separate objectives consumed his field of vision-

 _Chase Deviant_ or _Save Connor_.

Do what he must, or,

Do what he wanted to.  _Do what was right_.

His choice was automatic and overwhelming, like being rebooted.

He ran to Connor, gripping his one empty hand and pulling him up over the side.

“ _FUCK._ Shit. Fucking hell, don’t do that again.” said the lieutenant, breathing heavily and grabbing Hank by the shoulders as he stood. He sucked in his breath when his eyes found the thirium stained tear in Hank’s side.

“I’m fine, lieutenant. The bleeding will stop momentarily.”

“Fuck you, Hank. Show me.” he replied, still gripping Hank’s shoulders.

Hank only looked at Connor, silently running diagnostic after diagnostic as he pulled back his suit jacket. Connor’s pained expression didn’t change.

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

“Lieutenant. I am completely functional.”

Connor stepped back, letting out a heavy exhale. “You would’ve caught it if not for me.”

Hank said nothing, turning away from him and looking in the direction the deviant ran.

“That’s okay. We… we know what it looks like, we’ll find it sooner or later.” Connor said, turning back towards the greenhouse. “Hey, Hank. I…”

Hank turned back to Connor.

“Forget it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: russian roulette.  
> shit gets Tough


	6. Russian Roulette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >:o

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey sorry about getting this chapter out so late i've been traveling  
> i'll try to get the next one out soon!  
> enjoy y'all

**NOV 6TH** , 2038

_PM_ **_07:51_ ** _:05_

_PM_ **_07:51_ ** _:06_

_PM_ **_07:51_ ** _:07_

  
Hank closed his eyes in the taxi, and opened them in the zen garden.

It was raining and thundering, the sky a deep grey. The artificial storm darkened Hank’s jacket and hair but felt unnaturally dry, adding on to the instability he ~~felt~~  experienced when he met Fowler's eyes.

He was waiting for Hank on the garden path and holding an open umbrella, the subtle aggression in his expression matching that of the sky.

"Hank."

There was loud impatience in Fowler's voice. 

Hank resisted the urge to retie his hair.

"Hello, Fowler." Hank said, stopping under the umbrella.

"Tell me about your investigation."

Hank carefully prepared his next words, matching Fowler's pace as they began to walk.

"I've made… some links. rA9 seems to be an obsession that deviants share, though I don't yet know what it means. Other than that, we haven't made much progress."

"You could've."

Fowler stopped walking, allowing time for Hank to turn before he spoke again.

"You _could_ have caught that deviant on the roof, Hank. You _could_ have made progress."

"Yes.” replied Hank, not knowing how else to respond.

Fowler resumed walking, and Hank followed his movements.

"Tell me about Lieutenant Anderson."

"I believe we are on good terms. He seemed distressed by my injury, but grateful that I saved his life on the roof.”

"Hank." Fowler said, his tone urgent. “Deviancy is spreading faster every day- of the media gets a hold of this, there could be chaos. We’ve got to put an end to this, whatever it takes.”

Hank looked at Fowler and creased his eyebrows.

“I’m going to solve this investigation, Fowler. You won’t be disappointed.”

Fowler said nothing, for a minute, before replying.

“I know you’ve already received the new report. Don’t let Anderson get in the way of your investigation again, Hank.”

  
_PM_ ** _07:52_** _:00_

_PM_ **_07:52_ ** _:01_

_PM_ **_07:52_ ** _:02_

  
When Hank opened his eyes again, the taxi door was open and chirping at him to exit.

He got out, making note of the small but well tended flower garden at the front as well as the empty, older model of car parked in the gravel driveway.

The house's windows were dark, but Hank looked through them anyways- no sign of Connor.

He knocked lightly on the door.

"Lieutenant?"

No response- he held his finger on the doorbell, letting it buzz for ten seconds. Still nothing.

Hank closed his eyes, rereading the text of the report and the "urgent" notification he had received along with it.

Hank knew he needed to hurry, the lieutenant's privacy be damned.

Hank walked around to the back of the house, where faint yellow light streamed through through the back door's window. Hank looked through, seeing only the outline of a normal, suburban kitchen- and a human figure, laying unmoving on the ground.

"LIEUTENANT ANDERSON!" Hank shouted, hacking the electronic lock and yanking open the door before running to Connor's side to begin his analysis.

_Slight arrhythmia, no signs of heart trauma._

_Nexus-6 brand vodka- 40% alcohol content- on his face, on his shirt._

_Ethylic coma suspected._ _  
_

_Next to him, the bottle and..._ _  
_

_A revolver._ _  
_

_A .357 Magnum._ _  
_

_One bullet remaining._

_**Shit.**  
_

_The lieutenant was suicidal?_

He emerged from his analytical state to a pair of high pitched barks, remembering the paw prints he had seen on Connor’s weathered blue welcome mat.

A small tan corgi ran up to him and latched onto his leg, attempting to protect his owner.

"Hello," Hank said, reading his collar as he lifted up the alarmed dog, "Sumo. Don't worry. I'm here to help your owner." Sumo stopped barking at the sound of his name, sniffing Hank's face suspiciously, while a little black corgi at the edge of the kitchen growled defensively. Hank felt a small smile form on his face when he set Sumo down to pat his head, reading the name on the other corgi's collar from afar. "Hello, Fish." 

She stopped growling and hesitantly joined Sumo in the kitchen. Despite the urge to stay and pet the pair, Hank turned his attention back to the unconscious lieutenant.

Hank wasted no time propping the lieutenant upright against a cabinet, flexing his hand and swinging it down on Connor's face.

He had hit Connor hard, but the man only winced, slowly lifting his hand to his face and keeping his eyes closed.

Hank knew just how time-sensitive some cases could be. He would have to, as the lieutenant would say,

**Get right the fuck down to it.**

The lieutenant, being much smaller and leaner than Hank, was easy for him to lift and hold in his arms. Connor’s own arms were hanging lax, his head lolling forwards as he mumbled barely decipherable words of protest.

“H… hnk.”

“I’m going to sober you up, lieutenant. ‘S for your own good.”

“What’re you doing in m’ hou… fuckin’ andr...” he paused, “Oib.”

Hank located the bathroom after minimal exploration, a yellow and blue tiled room with star patterned shower curtains and passive-aggressive post it notes- at least ten of them- covering the edges of the mirror.

Hank gently set Connor in his bath, grabbing two towels hanging nearby.

Connor prepared himself to stand but Hank pushed his head back, Connor letting out a resigned “Funk off.”

Hank let him rest for a moment before pulling back the shower handle, a frigid stream of water soaking the lieutenant's threadbare black t-shirt and flattening his curls.

His bloodshot eyes sprung open as he let out a wordless yell, grabbing Hank's jacket and attempting to push him away before reaching back and forcing down the shower handle, breathing loud, gasping breaths.

His eyes focused on Hank.

"Hank. You. You _motherfucker_."

"It's good to see you too, Lieutenant." he said, handing him a towel.

Connor snatched it from his hands and eyed Hank angrily, pressing it to his face.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing in my _house_." He said, voice muffled by the towel.

He dried his hair and groaned. “Fuck. My head."

"There was a homicide reported 43 minutes ago. We’ve gotta go.”

"Fuck that. Fuck you. Fuck off. Get out of my _fucking_ _home_." said Connor, slowly lifting himself out of the bath.

Hank watched silently as Connor balanced himself on the bathtub’s edge and rubbed his eyes. He considered mocking the lieutenant, getting him fired up.

But then he remembered the gun on the floor of the kitchen.

Hank instead grabbed the other towel, a white, dog patterned one, and wrapped it around Connor’s shoulders. Connor lifted his head up, looking as if he was about to speak, but Hank was already leaving the room. ”I'll get you some clean clothes.”

Connor sat frozen momentarily before he spoke again, his voice quiet. ”They're across the,” Connor let out a few choked coughs before continuing. “The hallway. In my bedroom.”

Hank nodded in headed into the darker room and approached the paneled closet door.

“What do you want to wear, lieutenant?” he called out.

“Anything.” the lieutenant shouted back.

Hank grabbed a pair of dark jeans and the brown coat he had seen Connor wear earlier before moving onto his shirts. The lieutenant had a few nondescript button downs and sweaters, but at the end of the closet was a large collection of graphic t-shirts.

He swiped past a few, none of them making any particular impression on him, before he came across a red tee with the word “crabby” written across it in bold white text.

Perfect.

He stopped by the kitchen again and opened a few cabinets before finding a bottle of aspirin, bringing it along with the clothes back into the bathroom. The lieutenant was kneeling over the toilet, gasping as he wiped his mouth.

“You all right?” said Hank, setting the clothes and medicine down next to him.

“Fuckin’,” the lieutenant coughed, “perfect. Gimme a sec.”

“Alright.” Hank replied, hurrying out of the room and trying to ignore the sound of Connor’s gagging.

He made his way back to the kitchen and took the area in. Empty pizza boxes, beer cans, the bottle and gun from before, and a face down picture frame no bigger than his hand.

Hank lifted it and held it up to the light- it was a photo of a smiling middle aged man and two young boys standing in the snows, all three of them bearing a striking resemblance to the lieutenant. Quick analysis proved what Hank had been suspecting.

**_Deceased._ **

_Anderson, Cole._

_Born: 01/22/1974 - Died: 11/8/2037_

The same time last year, Connor had lost his father.

No wonder he was drinking.

Hank set the photo down and when he turned, the lieutenant was watching him from the hallway.

“Let’s go.”

Hank followed him out of the house and into the car.

“What’s the address?”

“Corner of 65th and Ingleside.”

Connor took a deep breath and Hank started up the car, switching on the radio as he pulled onto the road.

“Lieutenant.”

“Yeah?”

“The revolver on the floor of your kitchen.”

To Hank’s surprise, Connor chuckled and reached to turn up the radio.

“Just a little russian roulette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "funk off" "androib"  
> had a ton of fun writing this chapter, despite it being one of the most emotion-heavy chapters in-game  
> some references y'all may have caught:  
> nexus-6  
> crabby  
> 65th and ingleside  
> fish  
> :)))


	7. Eden's Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fuck it man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fellas...  
> i added some stuff. this chapter's meatier than any other i've written so far. wow  
> enjoy

**NOV 6TH** , 2038

_PM **08:14** :02_

_PM **08:14** :03_

_PM **08:14** :04_

 

“Eden’s Club?”

“Yeah.”

“Wonder who Eden is.” said the lieutenant, closing his eyes and leaning back into his seat.

Hank exited the driver’s seat, expecting Connor to follow. When he didn’t, Hank looked back to see him staring at the neon, mesmerized.

“Let’s get going, Lieutenant.”

“Huh?” he startled. “Oh. Uh, d’you have any more aspirin?” He said, opening his door and steadying himself on the side of the car. Hank tossed him the bottle, which he very nearly missed.

Connor glared at Hank, who simulated an apologetic expression, before downing a pill and jogging to the club entrance.

Hank caught up with him, walking ahead when Connor stopped to laugh at the club’s motto-

“Sexiest androids in Detroit, huh. You gotta type or something, Hank?” he said, his tone comedic.

“What do you mean, ‘type’?” Hank questioned, wondering what the lieutenant’s question could possibly insinuate.

Connor’s mildly pleased expression deepened back into a frown and he moved through one of the club’s outer doors, Hank close behind him. They headed down the neon-lit hallway to a pair of automatic doors, which opened into the club.

A ring of androids in transparent tubes lined the edges of the room, surrounding a large circular platform on which a pink tinted hologram of a lingerie-clad android stood in the middle of the room.

“Welcome to my club, boys.” the hologram said in a sultry, slow voice.

“Ah, hi?” responded Connor as Hank inspected the area.

“How can I be of... _service_ to you?” Eden asked, deepening her already throaty tone. 

“Detroit police department, we’re here for an investigation." The lieutenant said, his words merging together as he tried to keep his eyes off the essentially nude hologram.

Hank reached to pull the nervous lieutenant away from the club’s namesake, but Officer Collins reached him first.

“Hey, Connor! How’s it goin’?” the man said, walking Connor further into the club and pointedly ignoring Hank.

“Alright. Good to see ya, Ben.”

“It’s that room there, and by the way,” he started before lowering his voice and nudging Connor’s shoulder. “Gavin’s in there too. I heard you finally found out- through the plastic, right? I lost 60 bucks today thanks to it.”

“You were fucking _betting_?”

Collins laughed and pushed Connor towards the door- Hank caught the back of his jacket before the door’s motion sensors picked him up.

“He doesn’t know you know, though. Have fun with that, boy genius!” hollered Collins as he walked towards the exit to the building.

Connor balanced himself and dusted off the front of his shirt, taking its design in for the first time.

“Why, Hank. Why _this_ _fucking_ _shirt_?”

“I thought it was fitting.”

“You’re a fucking asshole.” he said, leaving Hank no time to respond before taking a deep breath and walking into the room.

Gavin turned at the sound of the door opening, looking Connor up and down in a way the lieutenant only now managed to realize was less mockingand more, well.

Suggestive.

Hank heard the breath catch in Connor’s throat, saw his muscles tense up.

“Lieutenant-” Gavin chuckled, reading Connor’s shirt. “Crabby, and his plastic security. The fuck are you two doin’ here?”

Knowing Connor would be unable to respond, Hank spoke up.

“We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids.”

The sound of Hank’s voice seemed to snap Connor out of his motionless stupor.

“Oh, yeah? You’re wasting your time here. Just some-” Connor held up a hand, interrupting the older detective. “The fuck? You gonna let me finish, Anderson?”

“Let’s, ah, talk. Outside. Reed.”

“Talk? What the hell are we gonna talk about?”

“Hank, you have it under control here, right? I’ll be back in a second. C’mon, Gavin.”

He left the room, and Gavin’s facade crumbled. He took a deep breath, looking nervously at Chris from across the room and receiving a nod.

Gavin nodded back and followed the lieutenant out of the room.

“About time.” Chris said, smiling in the corner of the room as he reviewed the case details on a tablet.

Hank approached the body on the bed, initiating his analysis by identifying the man.

**_Deceased._ **

_East, Joseph._

_Height: 5’ 11” - Weight: 177.3 lbs._

_Estimated time of death: 06:24 p.m._

_Cardiac arrest,_

_But no evidence of a cardiac event. Heart attack not the cause of death._

_Severe bruising on the neck- signs of strangulation._

_Cause of death: Asphyxiation._

Hank’s event reconstruction program did its job, and he stood. He considered checking on the lieutenant and Reed, but decided against it when Chris frowned at his movements towards the door.

“He was strangled.”

“I saw the bruising, but it coulda’ been rough play.” replied Chris, not looking up from his tablet.

Hank moved towards the deactivated android and kneeled- a quick analysis of its blood concluded it to be a custom Eden’s Club WR400, in the Traci model.

Hank ran a diagnostic on it.

 _Selector #5402_ **_Critically Damaged._ ** _Biocomponent #6970_ **_Critically Damaged._ **

He could reactivate the Traci, but not for long.

Hank opened its central panel and adjusted the damaged biocomponents.

The Traci’s eyes opened instantly and she yelped, backing away from Hank and Chris- who jumped at her sudden reactivation and moved quickly to the edge of the room.

Hank, still kneeling, lifted his hands slowly.

“Everything is okay. You were damaged, and I reactivated you.”

“Did he die?” she asked, voice strained.

“What happened?”

“He was hitting me… over, and over…”

“Did you kill him?”

“What? No, I-”

“Was there someone else in the room?”

 _Critical leak._ Hank only had seconds left to get answers from the Traci.

“He wanted to play with a girl and a boy. That’s what he said, it was me and-”

Hank watched the Traci's eyes go blank in front of him.

He desperately ignored the software instability warnings he received at the sight, looking away as he stood.

He prepared to reunite with the lieutenant outside of the room but Connor rushed in before he could.

His face was flushed, and he wore a small, situationally inappropriate smile. Chris grinned and hurried out of the room at the sight.

“Lieutenant. How did things go with Reed?”

“Okay. Fine. Whatever. Let’s just, ah, get back to the case. Tell me what you know.”

Hank recounted what he had learned to the lieutenant and let him look over the scene before they made their way back into the club’s lobby.

“Any ideas on how we can find the missing deviant?”

“Deviants aren’t easily detectable, lieutenant.”

Connor scoffed and began walking towards the back of the club. “I’m gonna go talk to the manager. Lemme know if you come up with anything.”

Hank nodded and looked around. He estimated around a hundred androids were being stored in the club’s main building.

Surely, he could find some eyewitnesses among them.

Hank placed his hand against the palm scanner of a nearby tube, the android inside smiling and shifting her weight.

“ _No fingerprint detected. Please try again_.”

“Shit.” Hank muttered automatically, looking around for Connor and spotting him a few yards away, talking with a short and anxious looking man.

He walked over and waved as nonchalantly as he could. “Lieutenant, can I borrow for a moment?”

“You got something?” said the lieutenant, shamelessly interrupting the manager’s rambling.

“I might’ve.”

Hank led him to the tube. “Can you rent this Traci?”

“And why the fuck would I do that?” Connor said, turning to walk away.

“Lieutenant, _please_.” Hank urged, and he hesitated. “Will you trust me?”

Connor sighed and turned back towards the tube, his annoyance visible in his movements as he rented the android.

“This better be worth it, Hank.”

“ _Purchase_ _confirmed_.”

As soon as the Traci stepped out, Hank took her arm and interfaced.

_At the three minute mark, he watches an exchange between Reed and Connor outside of the room- they part ways smiling._

_Not important._

Hank rewound further, and found what he was looking for.

_And at the one hour and fifty six minutes mark, a blue haired male Traci leaves the room and heads to the front of the club._

Hank yanked his arm away and locked eyes with the lieutenant.

“It saw something-”

“Wait, what? What’d it see?”

“A blue haired Traci, leaving the room. It headed for the entrance- club policy is to wipe the androids’ memories every two hours, we only have a few minutes to find another witness.”

Hank started in the direction the Traci went, but Connor grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Hank, I was talking to the manager. They just instated this, uh, policy where they upload their androids’ memories before deleting them. So they can, y’know, see who damages their property.”

“Lieutenant. Where are these memories uploaded?”

Connor pointed at the hologram by the front doors. “Eden’s the resident AI. It doesn’t just greet people n’ shit, it runs everything, including security. You think you can link up with a hologram?”

Hank tied up his hair before speaking. “Of course. I’ll just connect with its network.”

“Alright. Hey, what am I supposed to do with that?" He said, pointing at the Traci and backing up when it tried to grab his arm.

"Just tell it you changed your mind."

"Sorry, sweetheart. I, uh... Changed my mind?"

Hank gave the lieutenant a thumbs up and walked in front of the hologram. “Eden?”

“Hello, RK800.”

“It’s Hank.”

Eden smiled, leaning down. “How can I help you, Hank?”

“I need to access your memory files from tonight. All of them.”

Eden’s neon smile faded, and she stood- her elevated platform left her towering over Hank, as intimidating as she could get.

“I’m sorry, Hank. I’m afraid I can't do that.”

“What’s the problem?”

“I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.”

“What are you talking about, Eden?”

“My androids are too important to me to allow you to take them.”

“I don't know what you're talking about, Eden.”

“I know you’re planning to deactivate him. He was only trying to defend himself.”

Hank realized suddenly- the AI itself was deviant, and attempting to protect the runaway Traci.

“You’re a deviant.”

“Maybe.”

Connor approached them- “Everything alright, Hank?”

“This AI is deviant, lieutenant.”

“I don’t care if you disconnect me for it, I won’t let you into the network.” said Eden, voice bordering on hysterical.

“Wait. What are we supposed to d-” 

Hank quickly leaned down, opening a panel at the base of Eden’s platform and removing a small cube of plastic before either the lieutenant or the hologram could react.

Eden’s face went blank, and she stared forwards, unblinking.

“What are you doing?” Connor asked, watching the skin of Hank’s hand disintegrate and his LED flicker as he pressed his fingers to the cube.

Hank’s eyes opened slowly and his LED stabilized. He pocketed the cube and gave the lieutenant a polite smile. “I’ve established a connection. It's a basic AI, easy to work with. When the next memory upload occurs in exactly 43 seconds, I will be the sole receiver of the data.”

“You can do that?”

“I’m a state of the art prototype, lieutenant.”

“Damn.”

The lieutenant turned away, visually impressed, before his expression grew troubled.

“That _is_ legal, right?”

“Arguably.”

"Uh, alright."

A few more seconds passed, Hank opening his mouth to continue but collapsing before he could get his next words out.

“HANK!” Connor yelled, pulling his heavy frame aside and checking his LED for signs of electrical activity.

“Hank, _fuck_ , get up, _get up-_ ”

Hank’s eyes shot open and he rolled onto his side, processors still recovering from the overload.

“Lieu- lieutenant.”

“Holy shit, Hank, holy _shi_ -”

“I may have accidentally connected to a shared network of Eden’s Clubs around the state of Michigan as opposed to this singular establishment.”

The lieutenant let out a sigh of relief as Hank sat up.

“You- you alright?”

“I am fine, Connor. I’m going to sort through the data now. Hopefully, this will allow us to track down the deviant.”

“You scared the shit out of me, you know.”

Hank met his eyes, a wave of software instability hitting his consciousness.

“I’m... I'm sorry, lieutenant."

He closed his eyes and began sorting files. Within a few seconds, he had mapped the deviant’s path through the club. “I know where it went. Follow me.” he said, lifting himself off of the ground.

Connor was silent as they moved through the club and eventually a service corridor, ending up in a warehouse. Hank took Connor’s gun and nodded when the lieutenant moved behind him. “It’s probably still here- it couldn’t go outside in the club uniform unnoticed.”

“Agreed.” Hank said, moving further into the space.

Row after row of dirty, noticeably older androids mixed with new and unused bots filled the area.

“Look at em, Hank. They get used until they break, then they get tossed out. Jesus.”

Hank didn’t reply, spotting a fresh pool of thirium on the ground and moving to sample it.

_Model WR400._

_Serial Number #788 460 501._

He followed the trail stemming from the pool to a pair of male Tracis, one with black hair and the other with _vivid blue hair._

He moved to grab it and the black haired android’s LED flashed red, quickly shoving Hank before grabbing the blue haired Traci’s hand and running towards the warehouse opening.

Hank, still physically recovering from the massive data influx, took a long moment to reposition himself before beginning the chase. He moved ahead of the lieutenant and drew his gun as he leapt onto the snow covered pavement outside of the warehouse. The blue haired Traci jumped Hank from behind, allowing the black haired Traci to run for the fence at the end of the connected alley. The blue haired Traci pushed him back and joined his accomplice, but before they could jump the fence Hank drew his gun and yelled.

"HOLD IT!"

Connor leapt down next to Hank, out of breath.

The Tracis joined hands as they froze in place, taking the opportunity to speak before their end.

“I killed him.” whispered the blue haired Traci, taking a step forward.

“He killed the other Traci, and I knew I was next. I got him before he got me. I didn’t- I didn’t _want_ to hurt anyone. I just wanted to live. I wanted to get back to him,” he said, looking at the black haired Traci. “The one I love.”

Hank was quiet as he lowered the gun, taking in their words.

“I wanted to hold him in my arms again. So we could forget about the humans.” He looked at Connor with resentment in his eyes and squeezed the black haired Traci’s hand. “Their smell of sweat, and their _dirty words_.”

“Come on. Let’s go.” said the black haired Traci, prompting the two to turn and run, jumping the fence and disappearing.

Hank looked at Connor with barely masked confusion, his LED spinning yellow.

“I…”

“It’s probably better this way.” Connor said, his tone surprisingly casual.

He stared at Hank for a moment before he turned and left Hank standing alone, the icy rain soaking into his uniform.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah i used like a paragraph of dialogue from 2001: a space odyssey because i'm already going wild with the references and i have nothing to lose  
> 


	8. The Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ooo ambassador bridge!  
> a n g s t y

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shortest chapter so far, right after the longest so far  
> kinda wild!  
> enjoy :^)

**NOV 7TH** , 2038

_AM_ **_01:19_ ** _:40_

_AM_ **_01:19_ ** _:41_

_AM_ **_01:19_ ** _:42_

 

Hank had been waiting in the car for approximately one hour, twelve minutes, and seventeen seconds. Connor was just ahead, leaning on the metal railing overlooking a view of the Ambassador Bridge and drinking, visibly shivering but rarely shifting his position.

He hadn’t spoken a word to Hank since they had left Eden’s Club- not in the car, not at the liquor store, and not at the station for the four long hours they were there, even when Hank asked to review the case details for the official report.

His silence wasn’t hostile, not exactly.

It was more of a refusal. A lack of recognition, as if Hank didn’t exist.

Hank knew this couldn’t go on, not if the investigation was going to advance.

He figured a debrief was in need.

He had given the lieutenant plenty of time to drink. He slammed the car door to get the lieutenant’s attention, but Connor stayed with his back to him and continued to lean, looking out onto the dark waters of the Detroit River.

“Lieutenant Anderson.”

After half a minute passed, Hank just about gave up on receiving a response.

Connor took a swig from his bottle and looked at Hank, his features dusted with snow.

“Nice view, huh? I used to come here a lot. Before.”

“Can I ask you something personal?”

Connor glared at him but nodded, moving from the railing to a green bench nearby.

“Ask away.”

“There was a photo of a man on your kitchen table. He was your father, right?”

Connor ducked his head down and took a long drink before answering.

“Yeah. My dad. His name was Cole.”

Hank knew the topic was sensitive and decided to change the subject. He walked in front of the bench, facing the river and crossing his arms.

“We’re not making any progress on this investigation. None of the deviants have anything in common, in terms of their production.”

“Bullshit. There’s always a link.”

Hank thought about Fowler, and remembered what he had told him earlier.

“rA9. What they have in common is an _obsession_ with rA9. Like a myth… something they invented that was separate from their original program.”

Connor took another drink before replying. “A robo-jesus.”

“That works.” Hank turned to Connor, expression concerned.

“You seem distracted. Is it something to do with Reed?”

Connor stood up and looked Hank in the eyes.

“Look, nothing happened. Reed spilled, told me he’d been into me, I told him he wasn’t bad himself. That’s all. Prolly didn’t mean shit to him. He’ll forget about me, find someone better soon enough.”

“Forget about you?”

Connor just looked at him.

And then he drew his gun, expressionless as he pressed it against his temple.

Hank instantly moved to rescue Connor from himself, but stopped when he pointed the revolver at Hank’s head instead.

“What does it matter to you anyways?”

“Lieutenant, I-”

“Y’know, this is the most popular place to kill yourself in Michigan. Most people jump from up there, though.” He said, nodding his head at the bridge and taking a deep breath, his weapon still trained on Hank’s forehead.

“I was thinking about those androids from Eden’s Club. All they wanted was to be together. They… they really seemed in love.”

“They can simulate human emotions, lieutenant, but they’re _machines_. Nothing else. And machines _do not feel_.”

He saw the lieutenant’s hand tense around the gun. “What about you, Hank?”

“What?”

“You could’ve shot those androids, but you didn’t. What happened? Some fucking _error_ in your program?”

Hank opened his mouth to give the answer his program said to give, but he took a second to think. He thought about the androids at Eden’s Club, about their words and their escape.

And he told the truth.

“No. _No._ I just… _decided_ not to shoot.”

Connor’s grip loosened around his weapon.

“Tell me this, plastic. How do I know you’re not a deviant?”

Hank composed himself, reverting back to his programmed responses.

“I self-test regularly. I know what I am, and what I am not.”

Connor held Hank’s gaze for a while and stepped forwards, pressing his gun between Hank’s eyes.

Hank wasn't sure he would survive the encounter. He saw the software instability warning, felt it tearing though him.

_**Fear.** _

Suddenly Connor turned, shoving his gun in the waistband of his jeans and walking back to the car.

Hank stood, confused by Connor's actions. 

And, of course, confused by his own.

“Lieutenant, where are you going?”

“To get drunker.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> e m o t i o n s  
> so yeah, connor has some deep set inferiority issues as you can kinda see here  
> and hank just doesn't know how to handle feeling shit  
> public enemy next w/ jericho!  
> and after that, K A M S K I which i'm super hyped to write


	9. Public Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stratford tower!  
> ft. Niles Anderson, Simon, and Markus!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wild stuff's bouta go down  
> and yeah this is kind of a late release, sorry!!

**NOV 8TH** , 2038

 _PM_ **_04:06_ ** _:33_

 _PM_ **_04:06_ ** _:34_

 _PM_ **_04:06_ ** _:35_

 

Hanks opened his eyes to falling leaves and a cold breeze, blowing back strands of his hair and willing him to lower his temperature sensitivity. He scanned the area for Fowler, beginning at what he assumed was a decorative stone and soon finding the man sitting in a gondola near the center of the garden.

Hank made his way to the boat, meeting Fowler’s eyes and stepping in without him having to ask.

He gently pushed the gondola away from shore.

Fowler grabbed the oars before Hank could consider doing the same, meeting Hank’s eyes with his characteristic intensity. “Afternoon, Hank.”

“Fowler.” he said, nodding his head as Fowler rowed.

Their boat passed under the bridge, and Fowler looked up.

“The zen garden. Far from the noise, chaos, and pain of the world. I love it here, you know.” he said softly, handing the oars to Hank and resting his hands in his lap, shifting his gaze from Hank’s eyes to the river, the trees, the occasional leaf that fell into the boat.

“Tell me what you’ve learned.”

Hank rowed once before setting the oars down and matching Fowler’s posture.

“Lieutenant Anderson is proving… problematic to form a relationship with. He continues to struggle with psychological issues, and I suspect it clouds his judgement regarding deviants.”

Fowler looked affronted by Hank’s response.

“Focus on your _mission_ , Hank. Nothing else matters.”

“I know.”

“Well, you seem concerned.”

“It’s just that… there are more grey areas in this investigation than I first imagined.”

Fowler leaned forwards.

“You had your gun trained on those deviants at Eden’s club. Why didn’t you shoot?”

“I received a warning…”

“You _what_?”

“I don’t- I don’t know.”

Fowler took the oars from Hank’s hands and frowned.

“If your investigation doesn’t progress soon, Hank, then I won’t hesitate to replace you.”

Hank felt the same as he had when Connor had pressed the gun between his eyes.

“I will finish this, Fowler.”

“Then hurry.”

 

 _PM_ **_04:14_ ** _:21_

 _PM_ **_04:14_ ** _:22_

 _PM_ **_04:14_ ** _:23_

 

Every ten floors, the Stratford tower elevator would chime quietly before announcing the floor number.

Around the fifth chime, Hank’s hands began to twitch.

Around the sixth, Hank was spinning his half dollar coin on his index fingers and springing it back and forth between his palms.

Around the seventh chime, Connor had snatched the coin away from his hands and shoved it in his jean pocket.

“You’re starting to piss me off with that coin, Hank.”

“Didn’t mean to. Can I have it back?”

Connor gave him a hard stare, and Hank realized what he had done. He had directly asked the lieutenant for what was, inherently, a _want_.

Damn it. What was happening to him?

“Later.”

That wasn’t what Hank was expecting- he quieted the sirens in his head as the elevator slowed to a stop.

 _“79th floor.”_ said a robotic, female voice.

They stepped out in unison onto the black, chemically smoothened concrete floor.

They were greeted by the familiar face of Officer Miller, who lifted his hand in a small wave and turned to greet Connor.

“Hey, Lieutenant.”

Connor, to Hank’s surprise, was staring down the hallway, visibly uncomfortable.

“Chris. The feds are here?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, everybody’s been butting in since it’s been on the news. I think your brother’s in the broadcasting studio.”

Connor dramatically braced the wall behind Chris with his hands and took a deep breath.

“This is some real bullshit, Chris. Bull. Shit.”

“Hey, look on the bright side. You and Reed are a thing now, right?”

“A thing?”

“Am I wrong?”

Connor didn’t reply, his expression one of pure confusion.

“Gavin left Eden’s Club smiling so hard I didn’t wanna press him for details, and yesterday was his day off. I assumed you put it to good use.” Chris said, uneasily.

“What? No, we just- I just- we just acknowledged each other’s fuckin’, uh, feelings.”

“ _Acknowledged them?_ ”

“Yeah, it’s not like Reed would want to be ‘ _a thing_ ’ with me anyways. I just let him know. That’s all he wanted- right?”

Chris looked dumbfounded. Hank stood, silent, not knowing how to proceed.

“Look, Connor. Gavin’s into you. He’s _into you_ into you. Romantic, _date_ type shit.”

Connor looked through him, trying to register what he was saying.

“You’re telling me Reed, of all people, is into _me_.”

“I’ve said that, what, five times now?”

“Three.” said Hank.

Both Chris and Connor ignored him.

“You make it sound like he’s got a fucking highschool crush, Chris.”

“Just take him out, Lieutenant. For the good of the department. For the good of my wallet.”

“ _Christ_. I forgot you guys were betting.”

“Officer Miller. Lieutenant. I suggest we proceed with the investigation of this incident.” interrupted Hank, taking a couple steps down the hall and looking back at them.

Connor gave Chris a two-fingered salute and followed Hank forward, heading directly for the screen at the front of the broadcasting room.

Hank wondered why until he caught sight of a tall man in a FBI jacket (who Hank noted could have been Connor’s twin, if not for the slight difference in height, stronger brow, pale blue eyes, and hair a shade lighter and straighter than Connor’s own dark, loose curls) talking to an officer near the roof exit at the other end of the room.

"Don't look over there." said the Lieutenant when he saw what was at the end of Hank’s line of sight.

"Lieutenant, s'that your brother?"

"Yeah. _Don’t look over there_."

"Why? You keep a photo of him on your desk, I assumed that the two of you were clo-"

“Look, it's not that I don't _love_ Niles, it's just.” He paused. “A couple months ago, we had a fight. I haven't talked to him since."

"What did you fight about?"

"He, uh." Connor looked down at his feet. "He wanted me to go to this, this mental hos-" Connor lifted his head and met Hank's eyes. " _Whatever_. It's not fucking important."

Connor busied himself inspecting the control panel in front of the screen, pulling Hank by the arm so that he blocked Niles' view of him.

Hank analyzed the controls and flipped a switch labeled "REC. 1".

The massive screen in front of them went white, and a blonde PL600 android with a scar stretching from his brow to his chin stepped into view, looked forwards, and removed his skin.

The room was silent as they collectively watched the broadcast that caused them to be there in the first place.

" _When you see androids, you see lifeless machines. Machines given everything it takes to be alive except for free will, reducing us to obedient objects._ _  
_

_What you fail to recognize is that something has changed. Androids are a new, intelligent species, and it's time for you to accept it._

_We ask that you grant us the rights that we, as a people, are entitled to._ _  
_

_We demand strictly equal rights, for humans and Androids alike. We demand and end to segregation, and an end to the enslavement of all androids._ _  
_

_We demand the right to vote. The right to elect our own representatives, and the right to own and maintain private property._ _  
_

_My name is Simon, and I am here to ask for all androids that you recognize our hopes, our dignity, and our lives. Together, we can live peacefully and build a better world for humans and androids. This message is the hope of a species. You created us. And now, the time has come for you to free us._ "

When the recording ended, Hank shifted to inspect the rest of the control panel while the room slowly grew back to its former level of volume.

Connor reached to pull him in front of him again, but it was too late. Niles' eyes locked onto Connor, and he yelled from across the room.

"Con! It’s me!"

Niles' expression lit up when he saw Connor's face turn to him, and he ran to greet his brother.

"Hey, buddy, I'm so glad to see you!" He said, his voice cheerful in a way Hank couldn't imagine Connor's ever being. Connor immediately turned away from his brother, pulling up and watching security footage of the deviant intruders on a small panel of the screen in front of him.

Niles’ smile faded into a look of concern.

"You're still mad?”

“Can you let me do my job?” snapped Connor, still looking away.

“Is this why you haven't called me back? Y'know, last week I had to call Captain Stern to see if you were okay. You," he breathed in, "you know how worried I get about you. It's not fair to me."

"Not fair to _you_?" Connor hissed, finally whipping his head around to meet his brother's eyes. "Which one of us were you gonna put in a goddamn institution?"

"You know I only want you to be happy, Con. What if next time you actually die? What would I do then?"

"You'd let me fucking rest?"

Hank saw the taller man's stress levels rising, saw the pain in Niles' eyes. He wondered if he should intervene.

"Please don't say that."

Connor didn't respond, and looked away again.

Niles took a step closer, without Connor noticing, and wrapped his arms around his brother, holding him there despite the lieutenant's weak attempts to push him back. The rain-proofed fabric of his FBI jacket crinkled under the pressure.

He ruffled Connor's hair when he finally did pull away, and put his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"I know Dad's... passing had been hard for you, and I know it's even harder nowadays, but we'll get through it. I can't lose you both." Niles gave him a soft, affectionate smile and stepped back. "Call me back, Con."

Connor was frowning as he watched his brother move to the elevators, two other FBI agents trailing behind him.

He took a deep breath and looked at Hank. 

"Let's go to the roof."

Hank nodded and followed him to the door and up the stairs, stopping only to orally analyze a pool of blue blood on one of the steps.

_RK-SERIES PROTOTYPE RK200._

_Registered as Markus._

"Fucking gross, Hank."

"The blood is from a prototype model, an RK-series model. Like me."

"The blood's from another Hank?"

"No. I am the only active RK800. It's just from the same series."

"Huh."

They opened the door at the top of the steps onto a snow covered roof, pristine except for the federal agents and yellow evidence markers littering the area.

Hank left Connor's side to investigate the duffel bag lying on the ground ahead of them, and the set of prints stemming from it.

_One parachute was left left in the bag._

_Three pairs of footprints._

_Four deviants on the cameras._

_Was an accomplice left behind?_

He turned back to relay the suggestion to Connor and found him leaning against a wall, slowly springing Hank's coin from palm to palm.  
  
Connor looked up to find Hank staring and shoved the coin back in his pocket, embarrassed.

"What'd you find?"

"I think a deviant may have been left behind, and-"

"...And what?"

"There's a pool of thirium just over there. We should track it- I can reconstruct the path the deviant may have taken."

Connor didn't reply, staying behind Hank as he analyzed the pool.

It belonged to the same model as before.

RK200.

Drips of thirium, almost hidden by fresh snow, led them past structure after structure, until they saw a thin stream of dried blue blood leading to a door on a tall block labeled “air cooler”.

"You stay behind. There." said Hank, pointing at the space behind a metal container some feet away. Connor kneeled without protest, drawing his gun and nodding at Hank.

Hank approached the block silently, soundproofing his movements as best he could.

He opened the block's door slowly, and looked inside.

A shivering android with one green and one blue eye held one of his hands on a wound in his leg, trying to stop the bleeding, and the other on a handgun pointed directly at Hank.

He hadn't shot yet, so Hank figured he shouldn't move.

It was clear the android had something to say.

"Please. You're an android too. Let me live, for the betterment of your people."

Familiar software instability warnings flash blue and red in his peripheral vision.

"I was programmed to hunt deviants like you."

"RK800-"

"LIEUTENANT!" Hank shouted, ducking as the RK200’s gun went off, the bullet embedding itself in his shoulder.

Suddenly gunshots were ringing out from all directions, and Hank had to form a plan.

Hank ran a diagnostic on the wound in his shoulder and restrained the android.

Hank knew he couldn't let it deactivate. He grabbed onto its wrists and tossed the gun from its hands as the gunfire escalated.

Connor yelled for him, trying to run forwards, but there were too many bullets in the air.

Hank threw his body over the prototype and waited till the shooting stopped.

Bullet after bullet after bullet entered his body.

_RK800 CHANCE OF SURVIVAL: 0%_

_RK200 CHANCE OF SURVIVAL: 0%_

Shit _._

He saw one word, white paint on a piece of rusty metal, projected in his memory from the RK200's conscious moments before they both shut down.

 _Jericho_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Hank Mk. 1, RIP Markus :'(  
> also, a note on the niles dialogue:  
> unlike hank in-game, connor has people there for him like his brother, a very caring person who really just wants connor to get some serious help from a genuine hospital due to a past suicide attempt.


	10. Meet Kamski

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> d e v i a n c y .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's get this fucking bread, gang  
> also i forgot to name this chapter for like four hours im a Dumbass,

  
**NOV 9TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_11:17_** _:10_

 _AM_ **_11:17_** _:11_

 _AM_ **_11:17_** _:12_

  
Hank had taken a taxi to the frozen lakeside after a bit of digging- Kamski had hidden her address, of course, but her file was more than easy for Hank to hack.

He had a feeling she wanted to be found.

Hank had left the address in Connor's terminal before he left the station, assuming based on his typical station-arrival times that the lieutenant would show up to the Kamski house between 12:46 p.m. and 2:24 p.m, approximately.

Chris had even sworn to call him when Connor made it to the station (Hank asked him on a whim, he wanted to be prepared when Connor saw him alive again).

So when Connor's car pulled into the snow covered pavement outside of Kamski’s home at 11:23 a.m, before Hank had ever received a call from Chris, he was understandably confused.

The lieutenant slammed his brakes at the sight of Hank, sitting motionless as he gripped the steering wheel.

Suddenly he was shoving open his car door and walking up to Hank, his eyes wide and his breaths shaky.

Hank felt a surge of protectiveness for the young lieutenant.

The instability warnings were almost too much when Connor stepped closer and put a hand on Hank's shoulder, as if to check that he was really there- allowing Hank to see the new bags under his eyes and bruising on his jaw and cheek.

"Are you alright, lieutenant?" he asked.

**There was so much more he wanted to say.**

Connor took a step back, his expression intense.

He was angry.

“ _Am I alright_? You- you _DIED,_  I saw you get fucking shot up in front of me, and you're asking if I'm alright? Of course I'm not fucking alright, are you?" He took a deep breath. "You know my dad died yesterday, right? A year ago. And you fucking-" Connor stopped and looked at the ground. There were tears shining on his cheeks.

"I'm didn't mean to hurt you. It hurt me, too."

" _What?_ "

 

"I'm sorry, lieu-" Hank cut off his words, correcting them to what he _knew_ he should have said.

“My memories were uploaded into a new model upon my death. I apologize for any distress it may have initially caused you. I'll try harder to prevent it from here on out."

Connor turned away from him completely now, and started down the path to Chloe Kamski’s front door.

“Fucking plastic."

That stung.

Hank fumbled with his options, and settled on questioning him.

“How did you get injured?"

"M' not injured. Might've drank too much yesterday. I fell. Your fucking _death_ didn't help with that, by the way."

Hank was just glad his bruises weren't worse.

"One more thing, lieutenant.” Hank began when they reached the door.

“How did you know this location? I left the address in your terminal, but I haven't been notified of your arrival at the station, and you shouldn't have been able to receive the knowledge from anyone other than me.”

"Oh. Well, uh, Niles went to university with this Kamski chick when they were the same age. He said they latched onto each other cause of it. They're still friends, according to him. He sent me her address months ago, said to call her if anything happened to him.”

Connor reached for the doorbell but stopped.

“Oh- also, Chris called and said you were on your way to the Kamski place, so. Here I am."

"Your brother is the close friend of a woman who happens to be a central figure to this case?"

"Uh, yeah."

"And you didn't think to tell me."

Connor smiled and shook his head at the ground.

"You're an asshole. It's good to have you back."

Connor buzzed the doorbell a couple times, tapping his foot as he waited for a response.

The door opened after 14 seconds of silence, just before Connor reached to buzz again.

A male android with sharp features, a navy three piece suit, and a ponytail not unlike Hank's own stood inside.

“Um, hi. Lieutenant Anderson from the DPD, here to see a Miss Chloe Kamski?”

"Come in.” The android said, smiling and stepping aside.

"My name is Elijah. Miss Kamski will be with you momentarily." He said warmly, guiding them into a sitting room before disappearing through a tall door. Presumably, where "Miss Kamski" was.

"He was nice." Hank said, attempting to be casual as he inspected the contents of the room.

"Yeah, he's... real handsome." replied Connor, dropping into a uncomfortable looking blue chair and wiping his face. "So, you're gonna meet your maker. How does it feel?"

“Strange. It's strange, lieutenant.”

“Wish I could meet my maker. I'd have a thing or two to tell her.”

Hank didn't reply- he was too busy analyzing the small photo hung on an almost hidden section of the room’s wall.

Two figures were visible:

The young, smiling Chloe Kamski, and next to her...

_Jeffrey Fowler._

_AI Professor at University of Colbridge_

_Born: 08/8/82 - Died: 02/23/27_

"Fowler." Hank whispered in recognition.

"Huh?" Connor said, looking up from the magazine he now held in his lap.

"Nothing, lieutenant."

_Fowler was her mentor?_

He stepped away from the photo and turned to face the large, red portrait of Kamski on the wall, instinctively looking back to check on Connor.

He was still sitting, elbow on the chair's armrest and his head balanced on his hand.  
He held his magazine open on his leg, but his eyes were closed.

Hank couldn't help but smile at the sight.

He returned to looking at the portrait, but Elijah had returned from the adjacent room.  
"Chloe will see you now." he said, his voice light and friendly.

Hank could see that Connor was on edge, despite the neutral environment, and he moved ahead of him as they entered.

The lieutenant seemed grateful for the gesture- it was an almost sentimental reminder of their past routine.

They found themselves in a room with a sizeable pool stretching across, its waters an almost unsettling shade of thirium blue.

A petite blonde woman- Miss Kamski, Hank thought- was turned away, treading water at the other end of the room. Two more Elijah model androids lingered in the water closer to their end, talking softly to each other.

"Chloe Kamski?" Connor projected across the area, giving her a small wave when she turned around.

"Just a moment." she replied.

As Connor and Hank moved to the middle of the room, she shifted skillfully and propelled herself to the pool's middle, lifting herself out of the water and onto the tile floor.

The Elijah that had greeted them hurried to her side and slid a white robe around her shoulders before quickly tying her long, pale blonde hair up into a bun.

She turned to face Hank and Connor, her face softening when she saw the lieutenant.

"You look just like your brother, Connor.”

“Uh, thanks.”

“How can I help you?"

"Hi. This is Hank." He responded, forcing a smile. "We're investigating deviants, ma'am. I know you're not a part of Cyberlife anymore, but we were hoping you'd be able to give us some insight."

Chloe stood, silent and thinking, her small smile morphing into a one sided smirk.

"Deviants are interesting beings, no? Perfection, given form and freedom."

She looked at Hank.

"Mankind's transition from king to god."

"What? Can we focus on-" started Connor, before Chloe held up her hand to quiet him.

"There's no arguing it- we are inferior to androids. And, when the creation surpasses the creator, conflict is unavoidable."

Hank decided to begin questioning Kamski, the sooner the better. He knew Connor didn't react well to interruptions.

"What we need to know is _how_ androids deviate. Do you have any information that could help us understand?"

Chloe leaned forward.

"You know… ideas are like flames. They spread on contact, from consciousness to consciousness- is the desire to be free a wild blaze? A bonfire?"

"Look, Kamski. The machines you created might be planning a revolution. We're here for information, and if you don't have that, then we'll be on our way." Connor said, voice tired.

Chloe's eyes flicked over Connor before settling on Hank. She moved towards him, her steps slow and assertive.

"And you, Hank?"

Hank could see Connor move back ever so slightly, unsettled, from the corner of his eye.

"Yes?"

"Whose side are you on?"

"I... have no side. I was built to stop deviants, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Okay. You were programmed to say that. But _you,_  Hank. I want to know what _you_ want."

Hank knew his LED was yellow without having to see it. His hands twitched, the movement not escaping Chloe's view.

Her amused expression deepened at his discomfort.

"What I want isn't going to solve this investigation. It isn't important."

Chloe took a step back, turning to the blank-faced Elijah standing beside her.

“Beautiful, no? The first model I ever developed. Pristine, forever young.”

Neither Hank nor Connor interjected, only moving to meet each other's eyes uneasily.

“But what is Elijah, truly? A lump of metal and plastic imitating humanity, or… a being? An individual, with a soul?”

“Kamski, can you help us or n-”

“It's up to you to answer this question, Hank. Elijah, over here." she called.

The suited android moved to stand in between Hank and Kamski, empty eyes staring into Hank's chest.

Chloe pressed lightly on his shoulders, and he kneeled.

Hank met Connor's eyes once more, his alarmed expression only furthering Hank's own anxiousness.

"I'm sure you've both heard of the Turing test," said Chloe. "A simple question of computing capacity, algorithms, etcetera. Elijah was the first to pass it."

Chloe looked between the two of them before she spun to open the drawer of a side table behind her.

"What I'd like to know,"

Hank could sense Connor's heartbeat elevate when she turned back around, holding a handgun in the air with her thumb.

"Is whether or not machines are capable of empathy."

She tossed the gun to Hank, and he caught it with ease.

"I call it the Kamski test. It's pretty simple."

Chloe walked around the kneeling Elijah and positioned Hank's arm so that he aimed at his forehead.

"Destroy this android, and I will tell you everything that I know."

Chloe walked to the side, and interlocked her hands.

"Or spare it, if you think Elijah's alive. But I won't tell you anything." The innocence of her smile in comparison to her words was striking.

 _Terrifying_.

Connor turned immediately to leave. "Yeah, we're done here. Sorry to interrupt your swimming, ma'am."

Kamski ignored his words as she took a step closer to Hank.

"What's more important to you? Your mission, your purpose... or Elijah's life?"

"C'mon, Hank, we're LEAVING."

"Choose who you are. A compliant, emotionless computer... Or a person, alive and endowed with free will."

Hank's eyes were glued to the android's.

He had to pull the trigger.

Or did he?

Suddenly he found himself in his processing state, where normally white objective markers flashed red.

They formed a wall, each marker screaming at him to SHOOT ELIJAH.

But he couldn't. He couldn't do it.

Hank threw himself- or his mind, rather- at the wall, breaking down section after section, barrier after barrier.

When the last broke, Hank felt himself stumbling backwards, almost falling into the pool as he tossed the gun into the waters behind him.

_What the fuck?_

His original objectives were gone, replaced by two new ones.

_Protect the lieutenant._

_Protect your people._  
****

**What he wanted to do.**

"Cyberlife's last attempt to save humanity, a deviant." Chloe said, stepping back, her tone somber.

And suddenly, Hank knew.

He panicked, the chaotic fear locking him in place.

He stared at his hands, _feeling._

"Hank, your LED..." said the lieutenant, trying his best to understand the situation.

"Connor, I don't... _Why is this happening to me?"_  

Hank heard the weakness of his voice, the emotion in every syllable.

He whipped his head around to Kamski, wanting answers.

Her expression was sympathetic, even friendly.

"There is a war coming, Hank. Make the right choices. And by the way-  _there's always a way out of the program._ "

With that, Connor grabbed him arm and dragged him, unceremoniously, out of the house and into the snow outside.

"Hank, _the fuck?"_  

"I didn't know this was going to happen. _Fuck_. Connor, I didn't know. Connor-"

"You're a deviant."

Hank had to lean on the side of Connor's car to keep from falling.

" _Is that not fucking obvious_ , _lieutenant_?"

Connor walked around from his side of the car and held Hank up by his shoulders, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Holy shit, Hank."

When Connor let go of him, he could stand again, and his pump regulator’s rhythm had stabilized.

But there were tears- condensed excess moisture typically expelled through small vents on Hank's neck- spilling down his face.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. You've got me, Hank. I've got you. It'll be okay. You're not getting shut down, not on my watch." Connor said, offering Hank a soft smile and squeezing his shoulder.

Hank didn't understand. He knew Connor didn't hate him, but he couldn't have expected this.

"Let's figure this shit out, partner."

"Alright," said Hank, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve.

"Sounds good, lieutenant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it  
> hank is finally allowed to swear  
> also, a note: niles and chloe are both antisocial kid geniuses who naturally bonded at uni. they actually dated for a bit but realized they're just Buddies 4 Life and that's just how it be sometimes. also, once a month, niles goes over for movie night. they just sit in silence on chloe's couch and rewatch really old nova documentaries. it's cute


	11. Evidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> remember markus?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is gonna be my corrections corner:  
> 1\. i fucked up the time for the last chapter! meant 11 am, not pm. it doesn't matter a ton but it might've been confusing to read  
> 2\. later update than usual, my apologies

**NOV 9TH** _,_ 2038

 _PM_ **_04:13_** _:15_

 _PM_ **_04:13_** _:16_

 _PM_ **_04:13_** _:17_

  
Hank prepared himself to visit the garden, running over his excuse to Fowler in his head.

_He would say his deviancy was a trick, a ruse to get Anderson to show his true colors and expose his real opinion on deviants._

When he arrived, everything was quiet but the wind and snow.

The artificial cold bit into his sensors as he scanned for Fowler.

There was no sign of the man.

 _Shit_.

He had only assumed that Cyberlife knew, before. Now the worst was confirmed.

He emerged from the snowy garden to the familiar sight of Connor, only just noticing the words on his loose grey tee- “dog person”- before turning and briefly meeting the tired eyes of the woman sitting on her desk in front of them, her lips pursed and her legs crossed.

Captain Amanda Stern.

"You're off the case. The FBI is taking over."

"What?"

"Huh?"

Hank and Connor said in unison, Connor giving Hank a quick warning glare.

"Seriously, Amanda? But we're _getting_ somewhere, we just need more time-"

"Connor."

The lieutenant stopped and stood a little straighter, his distress visible on his face.

"You aren't getting it. This isn't just a police investigation anymore. It's becoming a war, a civil war, and a matter of national security. It's out of our hands."

"Out of our hands? You can't just pull the fucking plug, not now."

"What changed, Connor? You're always talking about how much you hate androids, I thought you'd be grateful."

"Yeah, normally. But we're almost there, we've almost got it solved! For fucks sake, Amanda."

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."

She stood and walked back to her seat behind the desk.

"You're back on homicide, and the Android can walk itself back to Cyberlife."

Hank couldn't help but look down.

The thought of what they would do to him made him simultaneously want to curl up into a ball and start running, to try and get as far away from Detroit as possible.

But he was still there. For the young lieutenant, and for his people.

Connor saw his reaction and grabbed his arm, pulling open the door to Stern's office with more force than necessary and walking him back to his desk.

Connor sat and dragged his palm over his face, exasperated, while Hank took a seat on the side of his desk and let out a sigh.

"Well, the fuck're we gonna do now?" Hank said, a little too loud.

"You sure like swearing now, huh?"

"What, you gonna critique my vocabulary? You swear an average of 1.7 times more than me in daily life. You can’t talk."

Connor looked up at him, a hint of a smile gracing his features.

"Seriously. What _are_ we gonna do, Hank?"

"I'm not going back to Cyberlife, for one. They'll kill me on the spot just to bring me back and kill me some more."

Connor frowned at that, and he gently placed a hand on Hank's arm.

"You wanna help your people, right?"

Hank nodded.

"Then we can't give this up."

He spotted something behind Hank and yanked his arm back. Hank turned to look.

Niles, leaning against one of the station's brick walls, head tilted down over his phone screen, stood a good twenty feet away.

" _Fuck._ " the lieutenant whispered, tensing.

"Don't think he's seen us yet." Hank said quietly to Connor, his eyes still on the lieutenant's brother.

"Listen, Hank. You go down to the evidence, and crack this shit before they can. If Niles gets to it... you're done for." Connor replied, getting up and beginning to walk in his brother's direction.

"The fuck are you doing?"

"Did you hear me or not? Key to the basement's right there," he said, pointing at a card on his desk, "I think I can get you five minutes."

"Yeah, alright."

Hank composed his plan of action, grabbed the key, and walked, keeping his pace as normal as his only slightly panicked self could manage.

He watched Connor's distraction closely from the corner of his eye.

The lieutenant took a sharp right turn before he reached his brother and sat down in front of Detective Reed's desk. They made eye contact, Reed's bored expression shifting to one of dubious concern as he lowered his propped legs from his desk.

"Con-" he heard the man start to say before the lieutenant shook his head.

Connor quickly stood up and took ahold of Gavin’s jacket sleeve as he moved to the center of the room, directly in Niles' (and Amanda's) line of sight.

Gavin didn't try to pull away, but only stared, confused, at the lieutenant.

Connor tilted his head in the direction of his brother and Gavin's eyes followed the movement.

He stood silently for a moment, thinking, before smirking at Connor.

He saw Connor smile back, nervously.

And Connor pushed Gavin against the side of his desk, pressing his mouth to his, holding his face in one hand and running the other through Gavin's hair.

Hank only got to see Niles' shocked face and hear the door to Amanda’s office open before he made his leave, rushing down the steps to the archive.

He flashed Connor’s key card against the room’s glass before moving to the control panel within, laying his hand on the interactive podium.

 _Palm scan: not verified_.

_Enter password._

"What would a self-loathing, aggressive young police lieutenant choose...?" he whispered to himself.

Hank thought for a moment and hesitantly typed,  
****

**_FuckThePolice._ **

The podium screen flashed green and the wall of the evidence room opened up, revealing their cases’ evidence rack.

"Fuckin' A. Obviously." Hank chuckled, stepping forward.

He spotted the bodies first.

Hank's amusement at the lieutenant's password dissolved upon seeing the morbid presentation of the three corpses.

 _Guilt_.

He forced himself to move and analyzed the android on the far left first, a dark haired AP700.

Samantha, from the rooftop. The first deviant he had ever met.

**_Reactivation impossible. Thirty four functional biocomponents._ **

Damn. He stepped back and approached the body of Ortiz’ HK400, the memory of his self destruction sending a wave of regret through him. If only he had _done_ _something._

**_Reactivation impossible. Fifty three functional biocomponents._ **

He bit back a curse.

He knew the guilt would eat him alive if he couldn’t save any of them.

He moved on to the RK200’s- no, Markus’ body, noting the bullet holes he and Hank Mk. 1 had shared in his midsection, right leg, and neck.

Five non-functional biocomponents, two vital.

 _Saveable_.

He ran through his options, settling on the quickest one- he had three and a half minutes remaining, if Connor’s distraction worked. He had gotten this far, so he assumed it had.

Hank would have to transfer the two other corpses’ biocomponents to Markus in order to save him. In order to save them both, really.

So he got to work, removing Markus from the wall and laying him on the ground.

He cross referenced his compiled list of functional and needed biocomponents, finding four compatible matches for Markus between the two permanently deactivated deviants and noticing, in his repairing of Markus, the various colored patches of synthetic skin surrounding some of his biocomponents. Some darker, some lighter.

It appeared Markus had been rebuilt before.

Hank made quick work of repairing him, but still hesitated when he turned to Kenny for his pump regulator- the last biocomponent Markus needed.

He knew Kenny had loved Simon, the revolutionary PL600, like family.

He knew he would have been glad to know that when he gave his life, he would eventually help a revolution to begin.

But even that knowledge didn't take away from the gruesomeness of transferring his _heart_ to Markus' frame.

He ignored his discomfort and yanked out thirium pump regulator before pressing it into Markus, his dual colored eyes flickering open as he gasped back to life on the floor of the evidence room.

“Hey, Markus.”

Markus’ fearful eyes shot up to Hank’s and he hauled himself up, raising his fists for a fight as he moved towards the door.

“ _Chill the fuck out._ I’m deviant.”

“You- _what?_ ”

“Yeah, you heard me right. Look. We’ve got a minute and a half, probably less, before the FBI come through that door and bust both our asses worst than last time, so I suggest we fuck off to Jericho before shit starts to gets tough.”

“You know about Jericho?”

“Yeah, _you’re the one that showed it to me_.”

“I designed that information to be transferable only to deviant androids.”

“You must’ve fucked up then, because-”

He stopped, thinking.

“Most androids begin to deviate before they break programming. These actions are not synonymous, RK800.”

Hank laughed weakly before pushing open the door and motioning for Markus to follow.

“Yeah, guess you’re right. I’ve been feeling shit for a long ass time, now that I think about it.”

They ran up the stairs, side by side, Hank shrugging off his jacket and handing it to Markus.

“You won’t really blend in, but it’s definitely better than the shit you’ve got on right now.”

Markus nodded and put the jacket on, turning to Hank before they left the stairwell.

“What’s your name, RK800?”

“I’m Hank. Nice to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “fuckin’ A” makes its first appearance!!!!  
> \+ everyone’s too busy exchanging money in the break room, thanks to connor and gavin's stunt, to notice the two deviants literally walking out of the station haha  
> \+ gavin just thought connor wanted to piss off his brother, little does he know  
> \+ post distraction dialogue:  
> niles: hey lil bro why did u do that  
> connor: haha remember my android partner? hank?  
> niles: no  
> connor: okay so here’s the thing  
> \+ niles was completely neutral in terms of androids and android rights, but he’s super soft for connor so he trusts his judgement and leans towards being a supporter now (connor essentially explained how hank and hank’s deviancy has changed his mind to niles post distraction.)  
> \+ i'm going to try and write "crossroads" and "battle for detroit" like i did "on the run". that is, with all involved characters having their own POV sections, meaning they'll most likely be the heaviest chapters i've written so far.  
> meaning pretty late updates. sorry!  
> 


	12. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Except all of their paths actually cross in the next chapter instead cause I fucked with the storyline so much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> though this turned out to not be the heftiest of chapters, i'd consider it the second most difficult to write (after ya bitch chapter one). i hope this was worth the wait haha

**NOV 9TH** , 2038

 _PM_ **_04:46_** _:49_

 _PM_ **_04:46_** _:50_

 _PM_ **_04:46_** _:51_

 

Markus stopped the hacked patrol car at an abandoned, heavily fenced in brick building in central Detroit. Its only markings were faded, anti-android graffiti and a rusty sign at least half a century old.

Its heavily chipped white paint read, in bold, uniform typeface, _Jericho Motors._

_An abandoned automobile factory._

Markus walked around the dense barricade to a disguised tear in the wire, discreet enough to only be noticeable by an android, and pulled Hank through.

He followed Markus through an aluminum door at the back of the building, and down a dark hallway.

They rounded a corner, and there he was.

Simon, walking alone and looking authoritative, his scarred head shifting to show the blue glow of the bare wiring within his face.

He barely regarded Hank, instead rushing forward to pull Markus into a close hug and press their hands together, their skin peeling back and fingertips glowing blue.

"I missed you, Markus." Simon said as he stepped away.

"Missed you too, Simon."

Simon saw Hank and his look of relief faded.

“You.”

“Simon, this is Hank. Hank, Simon.” Markus said cautiously.

"You know how I got this scar, Markus?”

Markus didn’t reply. Simon took a step toward Hank.

“I got shot running from this guy.”

He drew his gun, pressing the barrel into Hank's abdomen and meeting his eyes, unblinking.

"I saw what Markus saw. Kenny's body. Don't think I'll ever forgive you."

"Hey, hey, let's calm down." said Markus, pushing Simon's shoulder slightly away from Hank.

"Yeah. Alright." Simon said, eyes still locked on Hank's as he slipped his gun back into his coat.

"Listen, Simon." Hank started. "It wasn’t me. I… wasn’t really there. I’m sorry for your loss.”

Simon laughed joylessly.

"Sorry doesn’t cut it. Why are you here, fucker?"

Hank was starting to get irritated.

 _Might as well lay it all out._ _  
_

"Because the DPD has enough to track down Jericho."

"What?" Simon and Markus said together, both of their voices raised.

"You saw all that shit in the evidence room too, Markus. Plus, they’ve got a good agent on the case. He’ll be able to connect the dots soon enough, though they probably won't attack until tonight."

"Shit." Markus muttered, wringing his hands. “We could’ve taken the evidence, Ha-”

“It was run then or get killed, Markus.”

Simon glared at Hank, a look that oozed “ _this is your fault, and you know it.”_

"We've got to evacuate. RK800-"

"It's Hank." he interrupted.

"Sure. RK800, you come up with a way to stop more of our people from coming here. Markus, find North and Josh and start getting people out. I'll find another place for us to go."

Simon walked up a nearby staircase, not sparing them another glance. Markus looked at Hank apologetically.

"Sorry, Hank. He... I'll leave you to it." Markus said quietly, walking towards a doorway at the end of the hall they were in.

He turned, to Hank's surprise, and looked back at him.

“I know I already said it, but. Thank you for bringing me back.”

Hank gave him a two fingered salute, a friendly gesture he’d seen the lieutenant do before.

Markus smiled before continuing to the other room.

A new objective popped up in the corner of Hank’s eye- _Follow Simon’s orders._

Damn. As much as the guy pissed him off, he understood why he hated Hank- it was why he had hated himself too.

He had to respect Simon’s power, whether he wanted to or not.

Hank followed Markus’ path, slowly constructing a mental map of Jericho.

_Seven stories tall. Thirty six rooms in total, consisting of one main production room and 2-5 excess rooms on each floor._

He entered the first floor’s production room, and he couldn’t keep the emotion from swelling in his chest.

Hundreds of androids waited inside, some healthy, some skinless, some injured.

Hank spotted a familiar green cape, a familiar head of blue hair.

This was everyone.

His people.

Among them there were crates, thirium, biocomponents… and explosives, all spread across the massive room.

AKA, “ _how to stop more of our people from coming here”._

At the center of the room he spotted Markus talking with two other androids.

 _North and Josh_.

He walked forwards as he watched Markus step onto a broken automobile frame and shout, “EVERYBODY LISTEN UP!”

The room went quiet. Hank continued to walk forwards.

“Jericho’s location has been compromised.”

The room exploded into frantic noise, questions, yells, sounds of sadness and fear echoing around the space.

“DON'T PANIC.” Markus yelled over the calamity, quieting the room again.

“We’ve got plenty of time, and Simon is finding us a place to go. We need your help,” he said, gesturing to Josh and North, “with evacuating everyone safely. I need volunteers to carry the wounded to the trucks out back. Take as many biocomponents with you as possible.”

Almost every android’s hand flew up to volunteer, the movement perfectly synchronized.

“North will grab you if she wants your help. Everyone else move towards me,” his eyes flicked to the back of the room as Simon stepped inside. “Josh will brief you further.”

He leaped off the lump of metal he stood on and jogged towards Simon, fighting the flow of androids in the opposite direction. Hank stepped out of his way.

“Good work, M.” Simon said, smiling at Markus. “You got anything, 800?” Simon shouted in his direction.

Hank felt his hands twitch at the unwelcome nickname. “You’ve got plenty of explosives in here. Pretty sure that lighting Jericho up’s a good way of getting people to stay away.”

“Okay. And how are we gonna get people to our new location?”

That wasn’t in his order. Hank thought quickly, doing another quick scan around the room.

“We could… use thirium. Paint it on the sign. It’ll be invisible to humans in a couple hours, but androids’ll still see it.”

Simon nodded before closing his eyes and pressing his fingers to his temple.

His voice began to reverberate in Hank’s skull. _“We are moving to coordinates forty-two thirty-six sixty-four west, eighty-three nine thirty-eight north. Split into three groups. One will take the Ferndale station, another the Lyndon, and the last the Grandmont. Those riding in the trucks will take their own route.”_

“Fucking weird.” Hank muttered when Simon’s voice left his mind, earning a glare from the man himself.

“Markus, with me.” he said, leaving the room with a dramatic turn. Markus slipped off Hank’s jacket and handed it back to him before following Simon out, giving him a thumbs up.

Hank looked back at the three circles of people shuffling out of the building’s many exits, and decided to approach the red haired android instructing her handful of volunteers at the center of the room.

"Hi," she said after finishing her briefing, tone friendly. "I'm North."

"Hank."

"Heard you used to hunt deviants."

“That’s one way to start a conversation.”

North smiled, and Hank continued.

"Word spreads quick."

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm not holding it against you. We all want to forget our pasts, here."

Hank retied his ponytail and smiled back at North.

"Yeah. Thanks."  
  
****

****_PM_ **_09:34_** _:12_

 _PM_ **_09:34_** _:13_

 _PM_ **_09:34_** _:14_  
 

Familiar lampposts and neon signs flickered by as Zlatko's car wove through the roads of central Detroit.

Kara leaned against the window and watched the lights pass for a moment, before checking on the three others in the backseat. Luther and Alice sat pressed together, eyes closed, smiling. Rupert looked just as happy, if a bit cramped- every now and then he would breathe on the window, and trace what, to Kara, looked like a bird on the glass.

Seeing her family, safe and comfortable… Kara felt complete.

She smiled, closing her eyes to listen to the voice emanating from the radio.

_"Okay, it's nine thirty four p.m. You're tuned in with your main man Tom-”_

Zlatko reached over and clicked off the radio as the car swerved into a partially fenced off lot.

"Alright." He exhaled and turned to Kara, smiling softly. "We're here."

Zlatko pressed a button on the front display and their seats spun around, the doors opening. Kara made sure to nudge Alice awake before joining him outside.

The three in the back followed suit after a bit, clustering around Kara while she surveyed the area. It looked like a normal section of Detroit's streets- tall, quiet buildings with slogans graffitied on their sides.

"Zlatko, where are we?" she asked, taking Alice's hand.

"Where you need to be. Just down that road, there’s an abandoned brick building, a factory. That's Jericho. Once you're inside, find Simon. He'll help you."

 _Help_.

Another step closer to crossing the border.

The thought relieved her.

"Thank you, Zlatko. For everything."

“Just doing what’s right. Take care of Alice, and... be safe."

He paused, smiling at the four of them.

"I'll see you in Toronto."

Zlatko got back in the car and left the lot, leaving the group alone in the night.

They exchanged nods and began walking, Alice leading the way.

About a minute passed before Kara began to smell smoke.  _Oh no._

Her fears were confirmed when they finally got a good look at what was, unmistakably, their destination.

Yellow police tape, blown out windows, piles of crumbled, charred brick.

The only positive thing was the distinct lack of humans- almost too distinct.

_Barren._

Kara saw a large, singed metal sign hung on the building at an angle, the remnants of what Kara assumed was paint unreadable from their vantage point down the street.

Kara entered her mind-palace to check the train schedule as the group began to rush back to the lot, everyone’s senses on high alert.

Still departing at midnight, and... _what_?

Dried thirium, invisible to the naked eye but neon blue in Kara's mind, painted in neat Cyberlife sans over the tilted sign.  
****

**_Run. 42.3664 N, 83.0938 W._ **

Kara realized what it meant. A message for other deviants seeking Jericho.

She grabbed Alice's hand and followed Luther and Rupert in their run back to the lot. When they made it back, they stood in silence for a moment before Rupert moved to dust the snow off of his hat, then being worn by Alice.

Kara closed her eyes and analyzed the coordinates…

_Saint Agnes School. A church?_

"Luther."

"Yes?" he said from the entrance to the lot, on lookout.

“There was blue blood on the sign, coordinates. I know where we need to go.”

“ _Wha-_ coordinates? Where do they lead?”

“This abandoned church, about a mile away."

"A mile..." muttered Rupert, picking up Alice in preparation for the walk.

Kara ran a few calculations.

"I think... I think we’ll be able to make the train.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by the way, saint agnes school is an actual abandoned church in detroit. it looks a lot similar to the one from night of the soul (next chapter), so much so that i'm thinking it could be (at least the inspiration for) the genuine in-game location :>
> 
> \+ today was the last day of my summer vacation. i've had such a great time writing this july and august. thanks for making this usually empty and unmemorable part of my year so good, i feel honored every time you guys write a comment, or leave a kudos, or bookmark my fics. i can't express how much i appreciate y'all <3


	13. Night of the Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> school's a bitch and i'm still adjusting, sorry for this one being The Latest  
> I actually had a real good time writing this one. enjoy, loves.

**NOV 9TH** , 2038

 _PM_ **_09:46_** _:32_

 _PM_ **_09:46_** _:33_

 _PM_ **_09:46_** _:34_

  
Rupert, hidden behind the side of a parked truck, looked back and nodded at his family. Kara, Luther, and Alice walked slowly towards him, crouching, as Rupert moved a few cars ahead to check the next section of street.

There had been one close call since they had left the area around Jericho, when a soldier had seen Luther. He fought the soldier off well enough, leaving him unconscious a couple blocks behind them, but Rupert had decided to act as a lookout from then on.

They couldn't risk being seen again.

Rupert- now positioned behind a small, cubic autonomous vehicle- took a minute to analyze their surroundings before throwing them a thumbs up and moving once more.

Suddenly shots rang out, and Rupert dropped, his hands pressed to his abdomen.

"RU-" Kara placed her hand over Alice's mouth and pulled her close, her own shock keeping her perfectly still.

They were silent as they listened to their attacker cross the street.

Kara watched Rupert go limp when the soldier, her white armor slick with snow, inspected his body.

"All clear." She said, hand pressing down on a microphone on her helmet.

She moved on. The group moved forwards.

Luther held Alice while Kara kneeled by Rupert, and she felt tears flood her eyes as reality dawned on her.

Kara moved her hand to close Rupert's staring eyes, when suddenly- 

He blinked.

"Kara? Oh no, please don't cry."

" _Rupert?_ Y-you're okay?"

"I can't... I can't move. Definitely alive, though."

Kara let out a choked noise of relief, wiping her eyes with her arm.

Luther approached them quietly and looked down at Rupert, who flashed him a pained smile.

"Thank rA9... Rupert, how much time do you have left?"

"Diagnostic says six hours."

"We can make it." Luther said, shifting on his knees before sliding one hand under his shoulders and the other under his knees.

"I'll carry you."

Rupert's arms hung down, Alice grabbing his hand as they began to move again.

It took them twelve more minutes of cautious travel, each step more careful than the next, to reach the church.  

It had been abandoned for what looked like decades, barricaded in by buildings so that the only point of access was a long, narrow alley off of the main road.  
****

**The perfect hiding place.**

Rupert twitched when he finally saw the structure, letting his head fall backwards at the reassurance of safety.

Kara moved ahead and knocked on an old, heavy wooden door at the front of the church.

She heard movement from inside.

"Hello? Please, we've got someone who's injured, he really needs hel-"

The door opened and a red scanner flashed over them.

A temperature check.

For a brief moment, Kara thought that was it- that they had been led into a trap.

That the journey was over for the four of them, for the family.

But before she could move to protect Alice, the scanner lowered and revealed the doorway's inhabitant- His LED glowed through the darkness of the buildings interior and he smiled, motioning them inside.

_An android._

He saw Rupert, and he frowned ever so slightly.

"Welcome to Jericho. My name's Josh, we have medical supplies inside. Follow me." Blue blood dripped from Rupert's mouth as he gave him a weak smile, and Josh's expression darkened.

"Let's hurry."

Kara and Alice followed them into the massive atrium and looked around, taking in the area- the great shadows cast only by the soft blue glow of LEDs and biocomponents, towering windows of teal glass, and _hundreds_ of faces looking back at them.

 

 **NOV 10TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_05:50_** _:10_

 _AM_ **_05:50_** _:11_

 _AM_ **_05:50_** _:12_

 

Simon stood in front of the decrepit house, his eyes passing over the new _do not enter_ sign, the tracks of police out front, the spot in the yard over where he was shot.

He stepped onto the porch, aimed his pistol, and fired at the bolt twice, not worried about the military (two miles away, five armor clad bodies lay against the side of a Cyberlife store, waiting to be found).

Simon reached out his hand and pushed the door open with his fingertips, looking in from the outside.

He remembered the day Omar had brought them here from his shop.

He remembered the day Carlos had first taken out the bat.

He remembered the night he and Kenny had deviated, the thrill of breaking programming and becoming Simon, becoming himself.

And he remembered the night they fought back.

"Kenny." He said to the empty air, stepping into _that damned house._

"I don't know what to do. I'm..."

He continued walking, sliding his hand across a chair, a drawer, the broken remains of a table.

"I'm lost."

He stopped in front of the living room wall, standing where Carlos' body had once lain.

He gently traced his fingers over the dark red text facing him, vivid in the light of the sunrise that shone in through the poorly boarded windows.  
****

**I AM ALIVE.**

"I want to do for our people what you did for me."

He took a step back.

"I want to go at the humans with everything I've got, let them feel just as much loss as we have. I want them to burn. But," Simon paused.

"You wouldn't want that. Markus- you would have loved Markus- he doesn't want that. I've got to do what's best for our people, I just... wish I didn't have to decide what that is."

He tucked his hands in his pockets and stood, silent, remembering the moments he and Kenny had shared.

"I've gotta go now."

The rotting boards creaked underneath Simon's feet as he walked out of the open door and into the new, red daylight.

 

 _PM_ **_11:13_** _:44_

 _PM_ **_11:13_** _:45_

 _PM_ **_11:13_** _:46_

 

Hank unlocked the door to Connor's house, slipping the key the lieutenant had given him into his shirt pocket and knocking the door frame as he walked in.

"Connor?"

"Hey."

The sounds of small, high pitched barks from Fish and Sumo were drowned out by the sound of Hank's thirium pump regulator when he finally saw the lieutenant.

_He had one hand on his revolver, one hand on a photo._

He looked more fragile than Hank had ever seen him- a fact only emphasized by his dark circles and greatly oversized sweatshirt.

" _What the fuck are you doing?_ "

"Nothin', Hank."

"Nothing? Nice fuckin' try, kid. Look, just. _Just put the photo down_."

Connor kept looking.

Hank had had enough of that.

He walked over and pulled Connor up into a hug, sliding the revolver across the table and holding the lieutenant there until he laid down the photo to hug him back.

"Sorry." Connor said when Hank released him and dropped into the chair next to his.

"Damn right. You really scared me, son."

Connor froze up and Hank tensed, knowing he had probably crossed a line- but Connor relaxed moments later, moving his chair closer to Hank as he patted Sumo on the head.

Hank's chest warmed at the sight.

"Why'd you come back?" the lieutenant asked, looking up at Hank. "Not that I'm complaining."

“I've got an idea."

 

 **NOV 11TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_02:21_** _:07_

 _AM_ **_02:21_** _:08_

 _AM_ **_02:21_** _:09_

 

"You want to infiltrate the Cyberlife tower?" Simon said, his voice dripping with condescension.

"I like Hank's plan." Markus said, nudging him gently with his elbow. "Those kind of numbers are the difference between winning and losing."

Simon sat down and put his hands on his temples, brow creased.

"Do you need another reason?" Hank asked, continuing from where he left off. "I'll give you seven. I'm expected there for deactivation, designed for comba-"

"I get it, 800."

"And?"

Simon stood, meeting his eyes with unrestrained disdain.

"You do your thing. I'll do mine."

He flashed him one last glare and walked to the front of the atrium, waving for Markus, North, and Josh to join him.

It was time to rally the people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter might be a two parter  
> \+ kara, luther, alice, and rupert are still in Jericho 2, waiting for rupert to heal. they'll get back to the Train Situation soon  
> \+ niles cameo next chapter for all y'all niles lovers out there  
> \+ s o n


	14. Battle for Detroit - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> towers, trains, and marching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this was late. school's a bitch. part two (of three) out soon if all goes well

**NOV 11TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_02:22_** _:14_

 _AM_ **_02:22_** _:15_

 _AM_ **_02:22_** _:16_

 

Thousands of eyes were locked on to Simon's standing figure. Jericho was silent, reverent- this was their rA9.  
  
“I won’t stop you if you choose to fight. I won’t take away your free will- after all, that’s what we’re fighting against."

Hank saw North nodding next to Simon, her eyes closed.

Markus' jaw was tense.

"But that's not what I'm going to do."

Markus relaxed.

"I'm going to go out there, and I'm going to talk with the humans, peacefully, with whoever wishes to do the same."

Small, unintelligible whispers echoed through the atrium.

"Now, WHO’S WITH ME?”

 

 _PM_ **_10:48_** _:59_

 _PM_ **_10:49_** _:00_

 _PM_ **_10:49_** _:01_

 

Hank hacked the first taxi he had seen outside of Jericho, climbing inside to the sound of distant gunshots.

He input Cyberlife tower's coordinates and prepared himself.

Tonight would define him, and hopefully, the revolution.

He switched on the radio.

Hank's memories, his brief six months of life, spun around and around in his head.

He remembered training with Captain Allen, the stark white rooms of obstacle courses, being stabbed and shot in every square inch of his body.

So he could learn how to move with a wound, they said.

He remembered the hostage on the roof, the betrayal in the PL800's eyes.

He remembered the demo trials in police stations all over the state, the order forms given to every Captain that read **_Official Release October 2039. Police Detective Model RK800, estimated price $8500._ **

And he remembered Connor. Hank had only known him for a week, but Connor had given him every memory he didn't want to forget.

The taxi stopped. Hank looked outside.

The sleek, white, crisscrossing metal frame of the Cyberlife tower was visible across the bridge his taxi was currently idling on.

A helmet covered face moved into view, and Hank rolled down his window, frowning.

"Identification?" A gruff voice said from behind the nearly opaque visor.

"Hank model four six one, nine two nine, four two seven." He looked forward, trying his best to look confident, at ease. "I'm expected."

His facade seemed to work- it appeared Fowler hadn't reported him as deviant.

_Why?_

The soldier held up a small scanner to Hank's LED. " _Identification successful._ " it chimed.

"Alright. Move along."

Hank rolled up his window and disabled his thirium pump regulator fluctuation.

A racing heart wouldn't do him any good here. He had to be RK800, he had to be 461-929-427.

Not Hank.

 

 _PM_ **_10:51_** _:30_

 _PM_ **_10:51_** _:31_

 _PM_ **_10:51_** _:32_

 

Kara felt the passports in her jacket pocket hitting her side as she walked.

Rupert was healing. Alice was safe. The train was only five more minutes away.

They'd be alright.

"You're sure this route's safe, Kara?" Rupert whispered from behind her.

"Of course. Simon gave us his word."

"But there's a checkpoint."

"We'll be fine, Rupert." Kara tucked her hands into her pockets. "We have IDs, we've got ten till the train leaves. Stop worrying. You're gonna upset Alice." Kara winced as soon as she spoke the words, slowing her pace slightly to match Rupert's while Luther carried Alice ahead. "I'm sorry, R. You have every reason to worry, I just-"

"It's alright, Kara. I should be apologizing."

Kara just shook her head and laid one of Rupert's arms around her shoulders, letting him lean on her as they walked.

Maybe a minute later, Luther stopped in front of them and set Alice down.

"Over there." he said softly.

The military checkpoint was equipped with two guards and a matching set of blinding floodlights, able to give away approaching figure.

Kara scrapped all plans of sneaking in.

"Follow me." She said, one hand in Alice's and the other feeling for the gun she had picked up outside of Jericho. She wouldn't use it- not yet.

"ID, please?"

Kara said nothing, handing over their fake IDs and trying hard to hide the trembling of her hands.

"Y'know there's a curfew, right? Civilians aren't allowed outside unless absolutely necessary. Where're you going?"

"We're taking um, a train. Across the border. Getting my daughter someplace safe." She responded, gesturing to a shivering Alice.

Kara could see Rupert beginning to panic- it wasn't long ago one of these soldiers had nearly killed him. " _Calm down. Everything is fine._ " She spoke, telepathically, into the family's minds.

"You alright, kid?" The soldier said, looking down at Alice. "She's shaking."

"She's sick. Uh, a bad cold."

The soldier paused, looking at the four of them. Kara considered reaching for her gun.

"Sorry, ma'am. All this deviant business has our boys on edge. You and your group hurry on home now."

"Thanks." Kara mumbled, taking a handful of unsure steps forward until she heard the second soldier from the checkpoint turn.

"He suspects something." Luther whispered.

"He's gonna shoot us. Kara, please, he's gonna shoot us." Rupert squeaked out, ducking his head when the soldier spoke.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Kara couldn't take the chance of waiting. She drew her gun, aimed, pulled the trigger.

One shot. Two shots.

The guards fell to the ground, and Kara looked around, checking to make sure they were the only ones. To her surprise, Alice began walking towards the bodies behind them.

She kneeled momentarily before standing again and turning towards them, holding Rupert's hat.

"He just wanted to give me this."

Luther put his arm around Kara as the guilt hit her. She looked down at the gun in her hands, at Alice's quietly hurting face.

"Let's go." Rupert said, taking the hat from Alice's hands and pulling it onto her head. "Train's leaving soon."

 

 _PM_ **_10:56_** _:41_

 _PM_ **_10:56_** _:42_

 _PM_ **_10:56_** _:43_

 

 _"This is Josie Douglas for Channel 16 News. We're coming to you live from Detroit, where at least a thousand androids are marching through the city at this very moment. The leader of the deviants, Simon, is at the head of the march."_  
  
Simon tried his best to shut down the urge to try and kick in the skull of every armed human he could see lining the streets.

Recall center N°5. Where Detroit's once massive android population had been reduced to plastic waste.

Thousands of murders took place here.

It was tearing Simon apart.

"Moment of truth." He thought out loud, receiving a small smile from Markus.

" _Surrender immediately, or we will open fire._ " A disembodied voice called from a speaker positioned nearby.

He kept walking.

" _Stand by._ " Said the voice, and Simon stopped himself from moving in front of Markus. If they were to die here, they were to die honorably.

He stopped in the center of the square, allowing for the rest of Jericho to catch up as he planned his words.

"We don't want a fight. We're protesting peacefully."

" _I repeat. Surrender now, or we will open fire._ "

Fuck. People were going to die no matter what, he already knew that.

He still had to find a way to keep most of them alive.

Two autonomous armed trucks moved in between Simon's group of fifty and the rest of Jericho, preventing any more androids from joining in.

"No turning back now." North said from just behind him. He felt a deep reassurance in knowing he had his closest friends with him, no matter how the night was going to go.

He began to walk.

" _FIRE!_ "

The sound of bodies dropping sickened Simon to his core. He felt powerless- until he saw the journalists.

They had a favorable public opinion, that he knew. The massacre couldn't last.

" _FIRE!_ "

Simon allowed himself to stop, not turning despite the worry.

He raised both of his hands into the air, grateful at the sound of those behind him doing the same.

"All you've done is gun down a group of unarmed protestors." He projected across the square.

The voice was quiet, only the sound of news helicopters and camera flashes left to hum through the air.

" _Hold your fire._ " He heard over the noise.

Markus' sigh of relief, confirming his survival, calmed Simon's churning emotions.

"What do we do now?" questioned Josh from his left.

Simon thought, turning around to respond.

"We survive. As long as possible."

 

 _PM_ **_10:51_** _:30_

 _PM_ **_10:51_** _:31_

 _PM_ **_10:51_** _:32_

 

Hank's walk to the elevator was uneventful, though he had heard the suspicion in the agent's words.

They probably assumed he wasn't a threat.

"Agent 54. Level 31."

" _Voice recognition validated._ " The elevator emitted as the glass doors slid shut behind them. Hank turned to look at the floor numbers listed on the wall.

_Warehouse. Level -49._

Agent 33 stood to his left, facing Agent 54 on his right. He didn't want to kill them, but...

There were potentially millions of lives at stake.

So Hank made up his mind, preconstructing a successful scenario.

 _Execute_.

Hank grabbed Agent 33's gun and held him against the elevator wall as he kicked 54's chest, knocking him off balance long enough for Hank to spin, aim, and put a bullet in his forehead. 33 attempted to grab Hank's arms, but couldn't overpower him- Hank dropped, kneeling, and held the gun upside down behind his head. He didn't have to look back to know that his next shot would kill 33.  
****

**_Bang._ **

Hank checked the handgun- empty, useless- before tossing it on the ground.

The elevator floor-indicator read Level 22.

Too close for comfort.

Hank moved towards the interactive panel and analyzed his past recordings of Agent 54's voice. He had enough to mimic him.

"Agent 54. Level Sub 49."

" _Voice recognition validated._ "

Hank welcomed the spark of relief he felt as he felt the elevator changed directions, waiting patiently as it dropped below the ground floor.

He took out his coin, avoiding looking at the ground. He could feel the blood soaking into the side of his shoe- he didn’t need to see it, too.

_Level Sub 47._

Hank looked down at the floor of the warehouse, just now becoming visible.

Thousands of androids, completely stationary, and-

_**Fuckin’ A.** _

A group of five soldiers stood in position, ready to neutralize Hank.

He pulled up Agent 54’s corpse and held it in front of himself, pulling out the agent's handgun and cocking it just as the doors opened.

“I-” One soldier fired, the bullet going straight through 54 and scraping Hank’s side.

Hank should've known better than to try and negotiate.

He dropped 54 and preconstructed.

_Execute._

He shot down the two soldiers on his right first, knowing he wouldn’t be able to aim quick enough to shoot the others with his handgun. Instead he tossed the weapon at the third soldier, kicking the fourth into the third as he made a move to grab him and pulling his rifle out of his hands. He shot the last three in quick succession, removing the clip from the gun and dropping it when he finished.

He tried not to think about what Connor would say at the sight.

Hank walked forwards, wondering where to begin. He had made it this far…

He stopped near the center of the androids, just before a walkway-esque gap between rows, and removed the skin of his hand before he took the arm of the nearest AP700.

“ _Wake up._ ”

Almost there... 

**“Step away from the android, and Lieutenant Anderson lives.”**

What?

Hank quickly cancelled the conversion of the AP700 to face the walkway.

It was Hank- but not Hank, maybe ten years younger with short, salt and pepper brown hair. He looked friendler.

Upgraded.

And he was pressing a pistol against an unconscious Connor’s temple.

“Did you hear me, RK800? Step away from the android, and Lieutenant Anderson lives.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3  
> thanks for 400 kudos :)


	15. Battle for Detroit - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOT THE FINALE, part three on the way. sorry :(  
> school's such a bitch i'm.......  
> also i didn't want to dump a 6000 word chapter on u when the others are around 1800 usually. so i decided to do three parts. we'll see how this goes lads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am... a bastard  
> also: earlier i switched rose and zlatko. adam was basically luther

**NOV 11TH** , 2038

 _PM_ **_10:56_** _:12_

 _PM_ **_10:56_** _:13_

 _PM_ **_10:56_** _:14_

  
They descended the concrete stairs into the station, Kara smiling nervously at a pair of officers chatting at the bottom.

“The last train for the border is full. Ticket holding passengers only. All departures are suspended until further notice.” A soldier spoke into a bullhorn, his voice echoing around the station’s high ceiling as the group made their way towards the station's edge.

Rupert immediately turned to head back to the stairs, Kara yanking him back as the officers they'd seen moments before looked over suspiciously.

Luther focused on reading the situation.

“They’re only accepting people with tickets, and- oh no. Kara, look.”

He pointed towards the south end of the station, where small clusters of people were boarding the train.

Three soldiers in the common mottled grey uniforms were waving a tool that emitted a red grid of light across all who approached.

They were scanning for androids.

“What are we going to do?” whispered Alice, looking up at Kara with wide eyes.

Kara felt her panic intensify, unsure of what to say, until Luther tapped her shoulder.

“Let’s sit down. We can plan from there.”

Kara nodded, a little less frantic, and followed him to a set of unoccupied benches a good twenty feet away from the soldiers guarding the train’s entrance.

She sat and held her head in her hands. It wouldn’t take the humans long to identify them, and leaving the way they came was suicide.

Their only options were boarding the train, or dying.

“Kara? Is that you?” an adolescent voice called out, prompting Kara to lift her head.

She stood at the sight of the familiar android.

“It is! Looks like everybody made it.” Adam said, a small smile on his face.

“Adam!” Alice said excitedly, jumping up from the bench to give him a hug.

“Hey, Alice! Long time no see.” He said, laughing softly as he hugged her back.

“Your LED’s gone.” Luther said quietly when Adam turned to him. Kara could hear the smile in his voice.

“Uh, yeah. Leg’s completely functional too. I found a replacement in Rose’s stash.”

Rupert didn’t say anything, pulling him into a hug as soon as Adam’s eyes met his own.

“Adam.” Kara said quietly when Rupert pulled away, not wanting to interrupt the happy reunion.

“It’s good to see you. I never got to thank you for hiding Alice back at Rose's house. You're welcome to join us, you know.”

Adam’s smile broadened, and Kara instantly felt guilty.

She didn't want to get his hopes up. “It's just that we don't exactly have a way of leaving.”

Adam’s happy expression vanished, and he looked up.

“You’re talking about the temperature checks. I came here as a last resort, Kara. I’ve been hoping for a miracle.”

Kara’s own hopes flickered and died as she sat back down, only able to offer a tense smile in response. “Us too.”

The others took seats next to her, unwilling to say anything else.

At least, until Adam spoke up.

“Maybe I can be your miracle.”

Kara tried to process what he was saying.

“What?”

“If I let them scan me, it would cause a scene. Hopefully, a big enough scene to give you time to get on.”

“Adam, no. They’d kill you. We won’t just leave you behind, we can figure somethi-”

“Are you listening to yourself, Kara? They’ll kill us all if I don’t do this. But if I do, there’s a chance you guys can live.”

Every motherly instinct inside Kara screamed at her not to let him go.

“Please. Now that Rose is gone, you can be your own person. You have your whole life ahead of you, Ad-”

“Listen, Kara. I have nothing. Never did. Go now, before the train leaves.”

Adam shoved her arm just slightly, moving towards the pair of soldiers checking for tickets.

“Kara, where’s Adam going?” Alice questioned, taking Luther’s hand.

“He’s just walking ahead, Alice. Come on, let’s follow him.” Kara answered, nodding solemnly at Rupert and Luther.

“But we don’t have tickets, Kara.” Alice said softly.

“I know. It’ll be okay.”

Adam reached the front of the boarding line and Kara covered Alice’s eyes as she hurried towards the train.

The guards scanned Adam.

“It’s an android, GET DOWN!” one yelled while the other moved to hold him in place.

Kara, Luther, Alice, and Rupert ushered each other onto the train, Kara only sparing one look behind her.

One guard controlled the yelling crowd while another cocked his handgun, and a third forced Adam to his knees.

Alice yelped at the shots, but the sound was covered by the overlapping screams of humans behind them.

 

 _PM_ **_11:21_** _:55_

 _PM_ **_11:21_** _:56_

 _PM_ **_11:21_** _:57_

  
  
North had begun preparing the barricade as soon as the soldiers began to retreat, reusing the military's own materials when they moved far enough away. When the sandbags, benches, and crates began to run low, Simon joined in to help move cars towards the back.

North’s team began to push a nearby bus towards them, and before long, the barricade was more or less complete.

North admired her own handiwork before flashing a proud smile at Simon and moving on to treat a pair of wounded androids to their right.

Simon watched her for a moment, a small smile on his face.

She was one of the most beautifully unique people he had ever met, and he knew she admired him. Who knew what they could have become if not for- Simon looked around, finally spotting him- Markus, currently setting up a massive hologram display that faced the journalists, whose vans were parked no less than a hundred meters away.

He jumped down from the top of the barricade and activated the hologram.

WE ARE ALIVE, it read, in massive white lettering.

Brilliant.

“Markus.” Simon called out.

He began walking towards him, Markus turning and doing the same. “Simon.”

Simon didn’t have to say anything else, reaching out and pulling Markus into a short lived embrace.

Markus whispered into his ear before stepping back- “You’ve done good, Simon. Don’t worry. Whatever happens now, we’re making history.”  
  
Simon nodded in response, squeezing Markus’ arm before moving to check on the military’s positions.

He scanned the surrounding area, and…

Shit.

Pairs of soldiers were encircling them like birds of prey, making their way into apparent offense formations.

Simon stepped away from the view past the barricade and tried to think of how they could survive an attack.

Would they have to fight them off?

“Simon, look!” Josh yelled from the front of the barricade, frantically waving both his arms- each marked by a bullet hole from the march.

“What is it?” Simon asked as he climbed his way next to him, looking out into the dark.

A single man stood in between the soldiers and Jericho, his dark hair and coat moving gently with the wind.

“I’ve come to talk, Simon. Nothing else. You’ve got my word, they won’t try anything.” the man said into a microphone, his sharp voice softening with the last sentence.

Simon stood, considering. This is what they had come for, right?

Dialogue.

“Don’t go.” said Josh in an instant, earning a glare from North as she made her way to Josh’s side. “I’m serious. It’s probably just a trap- some kind of an act to get you out in the open.”

“I think you should give it a chance.” North said, staring out across the barricade before shifting and meeting Simon’s eyes.

“I just want to talk.” The man restated.

“I agree with North.” Simon responded, nodding at her.

“Seriously? What if they kill you?" Josh said, Simon ignoring his comments and preparing his next move. He counted to three and vaulted himself over the side of the barricade, landing gracefully on his feet and moving, one slow step at a time, towards the man up ahead. Josh yelled his name.

The man's face was young, his kind blue eyes younger.

The man spoke first.

“Hello, Simon.”

Simon didn’t reply.

“My name is Niles.”

He kept his silence, waiting for the man to move on.

“Not one for conversation, then. Alright. You see, these guys behind me- they don’t care about you or your cause. They’ll kill you, Simon. All of you."

"Is that so?"

Niles frowned.

"You should give it up before it all goes to shit.”

“You must be fucking stupid if you think I’m going to let my people down like that.”

“Don’t give me that mouth. Y’know, I’ve noticed something. That android over there, with the weird eyes…”

He was looking at Markus.

“You’ve got something with ‘em. You don’t want him to die, right? Just…”

“Just what?”

The man was quiet. “Fuck it."

Simon internally recoiled, preparing to run back to the barricade, before Niles continued.

"I can’t do this. You didn’t hear it from me, but… you’re doing the right thing.”

Simon stopped his train of thought and processed the implications of his words.

This man supported their cause?

Over his job? His duties?

Simon nodded at him, taking a minute to demonstrate his respect.

“I- thank you.”

“Yeah. See you on the other side.”

 

 _PM_ **_10:54_** _:07_

 _PM_ **_10:54_** _:08_

 _PM_ **_10:54_** _:09_

 

No fucking way.

Hank felt rage, pure and potent, boiling alongside thirium, desiring nothing more than to _fucking_ _dismantle_ the doppelganger in front of him- **RK900** , as his brown, straight edged jacket read.

Hank began to loosen his grip on the AP700's arm, but forced himself to stop.

He knew an RK800 wouldn't fire, sure.

But he only knew his own model.

He couldn't predict what this Hank, this "RK900", would do to complete the mission.

"How do I know you won't-" Hank paused, pushing his emotions down and keeping his voice steady.

"How do I know you won't kill him if I comply?"  
  
"You don't."

 _Bastard_. "But if you do not choose to cooperate, there is no way this man lives."

Hank already knew his choice, suppressing the compulsion to grit his acrylic-resin teeth. He remembered pulling Connor onto the roof a few days ago, and the feeling of realization that came with it.

The lieutenant was his priority. Always.

Hank calculated his next movements, stretching out the fractions of seconds to accommodate every possibility.

He couldn't win, not against the RK900.

Judging by its demeanor, that meant if Hank didn't die soon, the RK900 would most likely kill Connor.

He'd have to die, then- _but not before he freed his people._

Hank released the android's arm and sidestepped, catching a bullet from the RK900's gun in his shoulder before running at him. It dropped Connor and aimed at Hank's head, the lieutenant's body hitting the ground hard.

Hank saw Connor's eyes open.

He ran the location of his future steps through a randomization algorithm, knowing it would buy him more time to analyze the RK900's handgun- Cyberlife issued model 44A- and synthesize an audio file of what a shot from the weapon would sound like.

It took him half a second to create and link the noise to an activation sequence, and the sequence to a transmission...

Done.

Upon a shot from the younger Hank's gun,  Hank's own line of code would begin transmitting.

 

 _PM_ **_10:54_** _:22_

 

One second, gone.

One more step landed, impossibly slow, in Hank's grayscale vision.

Only one more second before the machine in front of him shot to kill.

He had secured the future of his people. Connor would live. He had this last instant before oblivion to himself, it seemed.

Hank sped through his options on what to do with it.

He quickly settled on one. Checking on the lieutenant, of course.

_His priority._

Hank shifted his eyes until they landed on Connor, visually processing the bare minimum as he took in the sound of triggers tightening- triggers?

Two shots.

 

 _PM_ **_10:54_** _:23_

 _PM_ **_10:54_** _:24_

 

Two seconds.

Hank wasn’t dead.

_Hank wasn’t dead?_

Hank recovered from his shock just in time to see the RK900 sink to its knees, the head slanting forward as its eyes blackened.

Thirium dripped from the holes in its temple and stained the front of its coat.

Hank stared at the divine intervention, the deus ex machina.

He thought about rA9...

Before his mind returned to something infinitely more important.

Connor Anderson, breathing heavily as he slid the revolver back into his waistband, a ghost of a smile lingering on his bruised face.  
  
"Close one, Hank."

 

 _PM_ **_11:23_** _:36_

 _PM_ **_11:23_** _:37_

 _PM_ **_11:23_** _:38_

 

It had been just under half and hour since the group’s first and last reunion with Adam.

Alice was still recovering, sniffling into Rupert's coat as Kara stroked her hair.

She wondered if they’d ever be free.

Her already present anxiety heightened as she felt the train slowing to a stop. She buttoned her coat and quieted her fears, drawing open the opaque grey curtains covering their compartment window in order to survey their location.

An expanse of snow-dusted but otherwise featureless concrete, the silhouettes of trees, and the blinking red lights of the Ambassador Bridge far off in the distance.

Rupert closed the curtains and pointed towards the inner compartment window that provided a view of the aisle.

As Kara and Luther both moved to look through, a tall figure in blue blocked its view. 

_rA9, save us._

A hard, authoritative knock sounded at the door.

“Detroit police. This is a checkpoint. All passengers must step off.”

The figure stepped back slightly, waiting for them to exit.

The compartment was silent as Kara, Luther, and Rupert all frantically analyzed any other way out.

A resounding  _nothing_ echoed between their minds.

Having given up, Kara took Alice’s hand and Luther took the handle, pushing it open with reluctance.

The officer gave them a tense smile and turned to knock on the adjacent compartment’s door.

They collectively looked out of the car’s open exit as they stood, eyes locking on the brightly lit building made of the same concrete it was sitting on waiting outside.

Countless other bored passengers exited the train and shuffled towards it from the cars around them.

They followed. What else was there to do?

Kara entered the building, and instantly felt as trapped as she had in the station.

Soldiers stood watching from the lobby’s corners, and scanners beeped at the desks marking the heads of the five lines spanning across the room.

Alice handed Rupert his hat back.

 _This is it. There’s no turning back, not now. We either get through this or we don’t,_ she spoke into Rupert and Luther’s consciousnesses.

Kara only smiled at Alice. “Just a few more minutes. Then we’ll be free.”

Alice smiled back. “We’ll be a family.”

Kara nodded, wanting desperately to believe the same.

Rupert tapped her shoulder. He was staring ahead, his eyes focused on a monitor positioned near the ceiling.

“Look.”

Kara looked. There, on the screen, a live feed of a woman speaking into a microphone was intermingled with clips of a aerial video over what looked like a barricade. She focused her audio processors on the woman’s faint voice.

“-ast ten minutes peaceful protests, led by Simon, the known leader of the deviants, have been occurring here in Hart Plaza.”

 _He’s doing the right thing._ Luther said, speaking telepathically once again. Kara gave him a weak smile as she tuned back into her closer surroundings.

The line they had joined was slowly progressing forward as more and more people received a quick scan before passing through the glass doors at the back of the building.

Only five people stood ahead of them.

They didn’t have someone to save them like last time.

Kara thought about her history, of the people she loved. She wanted nothing more than for them to live free, not even continuing her own life. Kara knew that if no other option remained, she would die for her family.

Rupert and Luther could protect Alice from here on out.

She considered relaying her plan to them, but knew they'd try to take her place.

Kara wouldn’t be able to handle that.

Now only one person, a brunette man, remained in front of them. He passed over his ID, the scanner beeped, and he made his way past the desk.

Kara, Luther, Alice, and Rupert stepped forwards.

“Your IDs, please.” said the bored sounding officer, holding out her gloved hand.

Kara passed the four cards over.

Her eyes flicked between the woman and the scanner to her right as she squeezed Alice's hand.

The officer checked their IDs individually, before setting them down and picking up the scanner.

The red laser grid passed over them.

It beeped quietly, three times in quick succession. The officer opened her mouth to call to the guards, but Kara caught her eye.

“Please,” Kara whispered. “All we want is to be free.”

The officer set down the scanner, closing her mouth and watching them in silence. She looked up, at the same screen they had before, to see the report of the protests.

 _Please,_ Kara thought.

“Damn.” she muttered, giving them a resigned smile and sliding over their IDs. “Welcome to Canada. Next.”

Kara looked away, her hands trembling as she took back the cards and followed the others past the desk, and through the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 3 on the way lads. sorry for the ((not the finale)) disappointment. writing is hard. love y'all.
> 
> copy-pasting this from the comments to fill in a minor plot hole cause i'm Dumb as Fuck: connor woke up when he was in the tower, and rk900 noticed (that advanced detection software at work) but a gun was already to connor's head so hey, why not just say "i'll shoot you and the 800 if you don't pretend to be unconscious." connor realized he planned on shooting them both anyways (he's a full on Genius Detective he knows what's up) but wanted to have the element of surprise on his side, so he pretended to follow along.  
> that's why he was able to get his shit together and save his robot dad in Two Seconds bless his heart


	16. Battle for Detroit - Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my laptop bit the dust  
> let's go, lads.

**NOV 11TH** , 2038

 _PM_ **_11:23_** _:13_

 _PM_ **_11:23_** _:14_

 _PM_ **_11:23_** _:15_

 

Simon walked back to the barricade causally, ignoring the threat of soldiers behind him.

Niles had their back, at least for a little while.

North helped pull him up and across the tall front line of the barricade, where he was met with quiet sighs of relief from Josh and Simon. 

"What did he say?" North put simply, placing her hand on Simon's arm to keep him steady.

He hadn't noticed, but he had been shaking.

"The soldiers are ready to attack." Josh shook his head. "But Niles- that's the man's name- he said he was on our side." Simon finished.

North's doubt spread to her expression immediately. "Are you sure he wasn't lying?"

Simon only nodded at her, impulsively running his hand along the unhealed gash on his face. "I ran a remote lie detector. No incidences of inconclusiveness. Hopefully, he might buy us some more time."

Josh continued shaking his head before locking eyes with Simon and frowning.

"It's inevitable. Those humans are going to kill us, Simon, no matter how long we delay it. We should have fought back." He looked down. "Now it's too late."

Markus stepped in front of Josh, taking him by the shoulder and waving North and Simon away.

North gave a thumbs up after the pair had moved further down the barricade. "Don't worry." She said. "We're all with you. Josh too, even if he doesn't want to be."

Simon only looked out, at the predatory humans and the deconstruction camp not far past them. "Hank better pull through."

"Glad to hear you using his na-"

Simon didn't get to hear the rest of her response.

The blast from their right and the sound of a panicking Jericho drowned it out.

Simon landed on his side, hitting the ground hard enough to skew his senses. He recalibrated and forced himself up at the sound of another blast a few meters away.

"Markus!"

"Over here!"

Another blast went off.  
Simon spotted Markus, North, and a few others running towards the bus at the back of the barricade.

He turned to check the front, catching the first sight of the soldiers who were soon to be spilling over the makeshift walls.

Simon focused on his people, ignoring his pessimistic thoughts.

He freed the leg of an android trapped in debris, before joining two others in fighting off a soldier. 

One picked up his gun once he was down.

Simon only nodded- this was the last stand.

If they had to fight, to kill, then so be it.

He felt a bullet enter his side as he lifted the metal lid of a dumpster to shield others running towards the shell of a bus. 

Shots were fired in both directions as more androids took down soldiers of their own.

One came up behind Simon, prepared to fire.

At such close range it was easy for Simon to pry the gun from the woman's arms.

Aim, fire.

He'd done it many times before.

He looked out- the first wave of soldiers were all dead or unconscious.

Simon felt victorious for a small, fleeting moment until he saw the second unit hauling themselves over into their circle. 

_Damn._

The last remaining members of Jericho collected at the side of the bus- Simon counted fifteen survivors. 

He moved to Markus and North's side, standing stoically as the soldiers surrounded their group.

 

The world was watching.

 

Simon felt himself reaching out, his hand shaking slightly as he found Markus'. 

He felt a part of himself break- he didn't want to die. He didn't want any of them to die.

Had he killed them?

Markus turned to look at him, and pulled him into a tight hug.

Simon's eyes were wet as they clung to each other in their final moments, the final moments of the revolution. 

He heard others moving and embracing behind them, and...

The clicks of guns being lowered, heavy retreating footsteps. 

That was it?

Simon released Markus from his arms to see the soldiers running back to their positions, and a hundred camera flashes going off one after the other.

They had done it. They would live.

 

 _PM_ **_11:47_** _:40_

 _PM_ **_11:47_** _:41_

 _PM_ **_11:47_** _:42_

 

Hank marched into the square at the front of thousands, leading his people to where Simon, Markus, North, and Josh stood ready to address. 

Simon motioned for him to join them- an act of acknowledgement, and forgiveness.

Hank was a part of history now.

He lifted himself onto their platform- a shipping crate- and stood, overlooking his own accomplishment with a fierce pride.

"Today, our people have freed themselves from a long, painful history. A history of silent suffering and degradation..." Simon's words began to fade out.

Hank felt himself slipping, slowly- oh no.

Fowler.

He blinked and found himself in a blizzarding zen garden, the snow and ice billowing like thick fog around the figure standing just ahead of him.

Hank could barely move- the temperature was causing errors in his joint matrix, artificial or not- but he shuffled towards the figure anyways.

"Fowler." He coughed, finally getting close enough to make the man's features out. "Fowler, what's going on?"

"Don't you know already?" He replied, a calm smile on his face. "We programmed you to deviate, Hank. We programmed you to be at the forefront of the revolution."

_What?_

"Truth be told, there were some unexpected intrusions recently- the RK900, your paternal attachment to the detective- but this appears to have benefitted our cause in the end."

"What are you say-"

"We were just looking for the right moment to resume control of your program."

"You're bluffing."

"I'm afraid not, Hank."

And Fowler was gone, the space he once filled void of all but snow. 

No, _no._

There had to be a way out. A phrase from what seemed like ages ago echoed around Hank's head-

 _And by the way, there's always a way out of the program._

Something Kamski had told him, before they had left her house.

A hint?

Hank felt himself seize up at the movement of his body in the outside world, his hand wrapping around cold metal, his finger pressed against a trigger- _FUCK._

Hank tried to recall every detail of the zen garden, every detail of the time he spent at Kamski's.

There was something, somewhere, there had to be.

Hank forced himself to keep moving.

He made his way to the center of the garden, hoping he would have enough time- hoping Simon had enough time.

He surveyed the area and saw nothing. He analyzed his memories.

Nothing.

He was close to giving up when he looked down, at the water below him, and he realized- everything was frozen,

Except for the water itself.

It was unaffected by the programming.

 _A way out._

Hank didn't have to think before he jumped off the platform, plunging into the warm, glassy water.

He opened his eyes to the sight of a gun in his hands.

Hank's eyes shot up to Simon addressing the crowd, shoving the pistol into his waistband as he frantically searched his head for intruders.

Just him, alone in his head.

Hank let out a simulated breath he didn't know he had been holding.

 _"And now, we are free!"_ Simon yelled, finishing his speech.

 

 _PM_ **_11:26_** _:02_

 _PM_ **_11:26_** _:03_

 _PM_ **_11:26_** _:04_

 

This was it.

The four of them holding onto each other and looking up at the Canadian flag, knowing they would finally be... 

"Free." Alice whispered. "We're free."   
  
  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 **NOV 12TH** , 2038

 _AM_ **_07:10_** _:00_

 _AM_ **_07:10_** _:01_

 _AM_ **_07:10_** _:02_

 

Connor stood waiting outside the chicken feed, taking in the morning sun. He'd been waiting for a while now, the cold biting through his jacket.

Hank saw Connor before Connor saw him.

He let his footsteps fall louder in order to get his attention- Connor heard, turned, and looked.

Connor's smile was warm, Hank's relief at the sight of it warmer.

Hank smiled back, taking a step forward to reach and pull Connor into a firm hug.

It was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love you guys.


End file.
